Kyoudai
by Mithril Lace
Summary: It started with a toast of brotherhood, but what exactly does that word mean to these three boys? A collection of stories spanning from the beginning of their relationship as brothers and set in the canon continuity. Ace/Sabo/Luffy brotherly love. No Pairings; rated T for language/violence. NON-AU.
1. Kyoudai

**A/N: So, I'm working on 3 AU epics at the moment and decided I needed something to play with while I flesh those completely out. This is going to be a rather long collection of ASL feels, told from different perspectives and set in the canon One Piece continuity. The vast majority of the chapters for now will focus on their childhood, but I plan to continue well up to the current arc. (Dressrosa feels!)**

 **No pairings, but I might put in hints of Shanks/Makino xD**

 **Dedicated to my own chosen sister, Ascaisil, who also helps beta read for me. Love you, Neechan ^_^**

 **I don't own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **Kyoudai = Brother (Can be used collectively to refer to siblings, but is more commonly used for brothers)**

 **Otouto = Younger Brother**

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Kyoudai_

* * *

 _Kyoudai._

It wasn't a word he'd used often. Maybe not ever. It was certainly not a word he'd thought would ever apply to himself.

He repeated it in his mind, sounding it out while a small smile played on his lips. His eyes flickered to the other two boys, both of whom had fallen asleep shortly after their bath. It wasn't very surprising for Luffy to do so since the water always drained him of his energy, but Ace was another matter. Then again, Dadan had also chased Ace around for a while after finding out he'd stolen some of her sake, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see him falling asleep so early.

They were both sprawled on their mats with similar positions, arms splayed and mouths open. Sabo had to resist the urge to chuckle at the way Luffy's infectious smile remained in place while he snored, while Ace's normally guarded face seemed relaxed for once.

The young blonde boy shifted onto his own mat, grateful one had been provided for him. As much grief as their caretaker seemed to give them for being a burden, she had still made sure they had what they couldn't procure for themselves. Honestly, he found it funny to watch her get worked up by their antics. Like teasing Luffy to get him worked up, it was endearing.

"Ace," Luffy mumbled, smile widening in his sleep. "Sabo…"

Sabo turned onto his stomach to look at Luffy, eyes bright. The younger boy's messy black hair was fluffy from being washed, and one of his small hands was outstretched near Sabo's face from the way their mats were arranged. He couldn't help but bring his own hand closer, experimentally reaching out to hold it. Family held hands, right? Even if just for appearances, he'd seen plenty of nobles holding hands with their children or siblings before. He'd never done it unless being guided, and the hands that had latched onto his were always cold.

It was surprising just how warm Luffy's hand felt in his. His skin didn't feel much different from anyone else's, though Sabo knew if he poked or prodded hard enough, the rubbery texture would be more obvious. He was still a little fascinated by exactly how Luffy's ability could work, but Luffy didn't really know how to answer any questions he might have. For instance, were his bones able to be broken if they were rubber? Since falling from high places or being hit with blunt objects only seemed to mildly annoy or scare Luffy for the most part, he doubted it. Was it the same with his organs, then? If Luffy could inflate himself like a balloon, could he shrink himself in size too?

He pushed those thoughts from his head. Wondering wouldn't really get him anywhere, and he hadn't taken Luffy's hand to think about the _Devil Fruit._

He'd taken it to see how it felt to hold the hand of a family member. Not just any family member, his _brother._

"Otouto," Sabo heard himself murmur out loud. His dark blue eyes did a quick scan, a pleased smile on his lips when neither boy so much as stirred from the sound.

Another word that hadn't been in his life often. He was a big brother now. He had a little brother to look after. A little brother whose hand felt so small and fragile in his own as the weight of that statement settled in his heart. Luffy had always trailed behind them, desperately trying to catch up while he insisted he was strong, but protecting him then had been more of an obvious choice. He and Ace could stand side by side, partners with similar goals and methods, but Luffy wasn't strong enough yet. Not to say that he was weak, either. Sabo could tell he had strength in him, but he needed time to grow into it.

No, this feeling was different. The realization was finally starting to sink in that Luffy was his _little brother._ He wouldn't be protecting Luffy because it was the logical choice anymore. He'd be protecting Luffy because that was what big brothers did, wasn't it?

Maybe he had no experience in the matter, and maybe he was only going off assumptions or stories… but in that moment, watching Luffy smile in his sleep while holding onto his hand, Sabo knew it was the right feeling. He wanted to be a big brother who could protect and nurture his little brother. He wanted Luffy to be able to look to him for guidance, comfort, protection… everything he had ever wanted as a lonely child in High Town, he wanted to be able to give Luffy.

The intensity of that emotion scared him a little, causing him to pull his hand back after a moment. It wasn't like their toast of brotherhood had given them any physical change or anything. They'd been together for enough time that his bond with Ace had strengthened and he'd managed to form one with Luffy. The toast had given them a sense of officiality, but had it really _changed_ anything in them?

It only took Sabo moments to realize his answer. No, it hadn't. It had merely given him an excuse to stop holding back.

His eyes flickered to Ace next. Outsiders assumed he and Ace knew each other inside and out with how long they'd been collaborating for their common goal, but that wasn't exactly true. Sure, they could fall into a routine that seemed perfectly choreographed in a fight, and they didn't always need to speak to communicate what they wanted the other to do. They also knew more about each other than anyone else seemed to know about either of them individually.

They'd been friends. What had started as a mutual agreement of teamwork had escalated to genuine friendship quickly, but it had taken time for either of them to lower their guard. Surprisingly enough, that guard had started coming down again. Not that Ace would admit it, but ever since they'd accepted Luffy as their friend, something had softened in the normally hostile boy.

Would he change too, with the weight of their declaration? Would his protectiveness intensify, along with his stubborn claims that he didn't care?

Sabo rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear Dadan snoring under their floorboards, a chorus of bandits giving various other noises that meant sleep from elsewhere in the large home. Ace's snore was a light buzz, while Luffy continued to mumble names or types of food he wanted - usually meat - in between his own snores. The sounds were far more comforting than the eerie silence of High Town or the constant racket from the Gray Terminal. In this unusual home with his unusual new family, he could sleep.

The thought came abruptly and without warning, causing dark blue eyes to open again, staring without really focusing.

Luffy was their little brother. They were his big brothers.

But what were they to each other? Which one of them was oldest? Was he also a little brother, or was he big brother to both of them?

It was a strange, almost unsettling thought. He didn't feel much like a younger brother, or like he wanted Ace to have the same protective urges Sabo currently felt for Luffy. Sure, they were protective of each other too, but protecting a little brother was… it was different. The little brother deserved priority. If Sabo was also the little brother, would Ace falter if they were somehow both in danger and Sabo couldn't save himself? Would he have to decide which brother needed to be saved, rather than immediately choose Luffy?

And if he happened to be older? Ace was definitely not the kind of person who wanted someone protecting and nurturing him. He'd call it coddling and bristle, insisting he was fine on his own. When he thought of Ace, he simply thought 'brother'. Kyoudai. Not older, not younger.

Could a family work like that? Two eldest brothers, one younger? They'd call it nonsense in High Town, but the idea set Sabo's mind at ease. It might have sounded weird to anyone else, but Sabo found he didn't care. Not that he'd tell Ace. If he brought up the concern, Ace would probably insist on finding out. Sabo didn't want to know. Luckily, he was positive if Ace ever brought it up, he'd be able to twist the situation to his advantage and keep them from actually having to admit a birthday out loud. They'd met rather early in the year when they'd been younger, and they'd been the same age. Their birthdays had to be very close to one another.

The smile that touched his lips was bright, and he couldn't stop it from appearing. That morning, he'd been Sabo, Ace and Luffy's friend from the Gray Terminal who had no family. That afternoon, he'd been forced to confess to having blood relatives he wanted nothing to do with, afraid his friends would look at him differently or feel he didn't belong with them because he hadn't lost his parents in the same sense that they had.

Now - and as far as he was concerned, forever - he was Sabo, Ace and Luffy's brother.

"Ace, Sabo," Luffy mumbled again, the sound causing his smile to widen a bit. He twisted a little, seeing that Luffy's blanket had come halfway off and he was trying to find it in his sleep.

A chuckle escaped, and then Sabo was reaching to take the blanket and put it back up around Luffy's upper body. He would most likely just kick it back off at some point, but for the time being, it satisfied the young boy. Luffy went right back to snoring and smiling, looking content in his sleep, and Sabo was able to settle back into his own mat to fall into his own peaceful slumber.

* * *

Sabo glanced over his shoulder, grinning automatically. He and Ace were up front as always, pipes ready while Luffy happily flailed his arms. The youngest of the three was excited at the prospect of food like every other morning, even though they hadn't decided on what their prey would be yet. Sabo was pretty sure they'd wind up going for fish, if only because it was the easiest thing they could cook on their own.

That meant Luffy wouldn't be of much help, and Sabo would have to make sure to keep an eye on him in case he tried.

"Food food food!" Luffy cheered, putting on a burst of speed and catching up. In the past, Sabo and Ace had run side by side while Luffy tried to push in between them, but since he couldn't keep up, they never bothered making room. Now Sabo found himself shifting just a little, noting Ace doing the same so the boy could easily fit there if needed.

"Be patient, Luffy," Sabo chuckled, unable to stop himself from smiling wider at Luffy's enthusiasm. "We have to hunt first."

"Yeah, but then we get to eat!" Luffy explained, flailing his arms and nearly smacking Ace in the eye because he wasn't looking.

"Oi, watch it," Ace grumbled, swatting his hand out of the way. "I think we should get fish for breakfast anyway, and you can't help with that."

"I can too!" Luffy turned to look at Ace now, barely keeping up with them both. "You just don't wanna share!"

"I can catch my own fish," Ace retorted, sticking his tongue out.

Luffy's breathing got a little too heavy for him to respond, so he fell back a bit, lagging behind while they kept running. "So can I!"

"He can always try," Sabo looked over at Ace. "And if he doesn't catch anything after a while, he could gather the firewood to cook it."

"He never sits still enough," Ace complained. "And if he falls in the water, he'll scare the fish away."

"Or attract the bigger fish," Sabo joked. That had happened before, although neither brother really enjoyed using their younger brother as bait.

"I won't fall in!" Luffy insisted. "And I'll sit still! I'll show you!"

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Ace muttered.

Sabo merely laughed at their exchange, one hand moving to hold his stomach as they ran. Ace was probably right. Luffy would most likely fall in or complain too much to catch anything that wouldn't be trying to catch him. If he did wind up as bait again, it meant neither of them would be able to focus on fishing, because they'd have to save Luffy. Of course, if he attracted a big enough fish, it could wind up saving them time, even if Ace and Sabo wound up being the ones who had to take it down.

Still, no matter how much they shared and looked out for each other, they were trying to be strong and teach Luffy to look after himself like they did. Ace and Sabo could easily catch enough food for all of them, but Luffy needed to be able to contribute. That had been the rule, and Sabo didn't want Luffy to feel like he wasn't capable of helping.

It didn't take them long to reach the river. They set aside their pipes in favor of makeshift spears that consisted of thick branches they'd hammered knife blades into. While Ace immediately started hopping on rocks and looking for a fish to spear, Sabo stopped Luffy at the bank to get him set up with a fishing pole - a workable one they'd salvaged from the Gray Terminal - and a relatively safe spot to fish from. Unfortunately, the only fish they ever caught the traditional way were tiny in comparison to the ones Sabo and Ace could bring down with their crudely fashioned weapons, but even a tiny fish would be better for Luffy's spirits than no fish at all.

"I won't fall in," Luffy promised Sabo, grinning brightly. "Just you watch!"

"Alright," Sabo agreed with him, tousling his hair since his hat had fallen back on the string. "I'm going to go help Ace, okay?"

"Okay," Luffy nodded, determination all over his cheerful face.

Sabo couldn't resist ruffling his hair one more time before grabbing his own makeshift spear and heading over the rocks to catch up with Ace.

"He doesn't have to catch anything, you know," Ace complained as soon as Sabo was within earshot. "It's not like we can't catch enough fish for all of us."

"Aren't you the one who insisted he catch his own food last time we did this?"

"That was before. He can help all he wants in the jungle, but he really doesn't need to risk himself here."

"You almost sound worried," Sabo couldn't help but tease, eyes darting over the top of the water. He was following shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"I'm not worried!" Ace practically shouted. All of the shadows vanished, the fish diving deeper.

"Ace, you just scared all the fish away," Sabo laughed. "Anyway he's near the shore and the current isn't that strong right now, so he should be fine."

He cast a glance over his shoulder, seeing that Luffy had both feet planted firmly on the ground with an incredibly stiff stance. Since Luffy seemed to be just as safe as Sabo had been telling Ace he would be, the young blonde turned back to his fishing companion. "It's okay if you worry, you know. I mean, he's our little brother. And I won't tell him you're worried," he added the last part when Ace glared at him.

A mumbled sound escaped, and then Ace was turning away and heading further in to find where the fish had gone. Sabo could have sworn he saw a blush on those freckle-dusted cheeks.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sabo remained in place, waiting for the shadows to appear again. It didn't seem like any of the larger and more hostile fish were around that day, which made their job a little harder. The hostile ones would come up and try to take a bite, bringing them into easy killing range.

Ace seemed to be having the same problem, scowling down at the water and holding still on his new rock.

The shadows were just getting close enough for Sabo to make a move when Luffy's voice shattered his concentration and nearly made him drop his weapon.

"Ah! Sabo! Something's biting!" Luffy announced happily, tugging on the fishing pole.

With his own fish diving deeper again, Sabo forced a smile, looking over. "That's great, Luffy."

He spared a glance at Ace, pleased when the other boy bit back a chastising comment for Luffy having scared their fish away. At least Luffy was going to catch something; that would be a big confidence booster for him.

"Wah!"

Sabo's attention snapped back to Luffy immediately, eyes growing wide when he realized Luffy was having trouble pulling his fish in. He was trying to back up, but his arms were stretching as the pole was being forced away from him. If he didn't hurry and let go or pull the fish in, his arms were going to retract and likely propel him right into the water. It didn't seem like he had the strength to pull the fish in though, and that was why Sabo was worried.

"Luffy, let go!" Sabo cried.

"No!" Luffy stubbornly dug his feet into the ground and tried to pull back, but all it did was stretch his arms further.

"Idiot!" Ace snapped, already rushing back over the rocks. "Just let go before you fall in!"

The fish on the other end of the line chose that moment to surface, leaping into the air and jerking. The smaller fish that must have taken the initial bait was caught in the larger fish's sharp teeth.

"That's my fish!" Luffy protested. "I caught it fair and square!"

The line tugged then, yanking Luffy up off the ground. In the next moment, his arms retracted and sent him barrelling towards the clearly aggressive fish, right over the middle of the river. He didn't let go of the fishing pole, but he did yelp loudly, eyes going very wide and little legs flailing with panic.

"Sabo!" Ace shouted.

Sabo didn't even have to think about what Ace wanted. At the sound of his name, he brought his weapon up over the water, holding it in both hands and bracing himself. Ace's weight caused him to lean forward a little as the raven-haired boy landed on the pole, and almost as if they'd planned it, he applied his full force to bring the weapon up at the exact moment Ace moved to kick off of it. The combined force sent him high into the air, quickly enough for him to spear the fish and grab Luffy around the waist. All three hit the water shortly after, with Sabo tossing his weapon back to dry land and diving in to help retrieve either the fish or Luffy. It really only depended on which one Ace wanted to drag back in.

"Ugh," Ace complained, surfacing and coughing to clear his throat. Luffy looked completely drained, eyes a little swirly and little hands still clutching the fishing pole. He was still conscious though, which was always a good sign.

"Are you both okay?" Sabo asked, grabbing onto one of the fins so the fish wouldn't float away and try to drag Luffy with it.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ace answered, sighing and working to pull Luffy out of the water.

As soon as they were close enough, Ace tossed Luffy towards the spot they planned to eat their breakfast, then helped Sabo pull the large fish up with them.

"Thanks," Sabo grinned at him, stripping off his jacket and shirt, wringing out the latter. He had to take his hat off too, tossing the soaked clothing onto the rocks to help them dry in the sunlight. He moved to help Luffy next, removing his hat so he could pull his wet shirt off and wring it out. The younger boy still seemed drained.

Ace didn't say anything as he took his own shirt off. He tossed it onto the rocks as well and immediately headed off to get firewood so he could get started cooking.

"Luffy, are you okay?" Sabo asked, sitting him up and checking him over.

"I'm fine," Luffy rubbed at his eyes to wipe away the water, then opened them so he could beam up at Sabo. "I caught a big fish, Sabo!"

Sabo stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing, unable to help himself. It was just like Luffy to ignore that he'd been in danger and worried his brothers. He could only focus on his pseudo-achievement.

"Technically, Ace caught it," Sabo said, which had Luffy faltering. "But we wouldn't have gotten such a big fish if you hadn't lured it out."

The bright look was back, causing Luffy to cheer, picking his hat up off the ground and plopping it over his head. He pulled it down over his eyes briefly, a move Sabo had noticed he'd do whenever he was overexcited or being shy. This seemed to be a mix of both. The sudden urge to hug his little brother hit Sabo like a flailing sea king, and he immediately gave in by wrapping his arms around Luffy's shoulders.

Luffy, who had always been the more emotional and expressive of the bunch, seemed to go still at the hug. For a brief moment, Sabo was worried he shouldn't have hugged the boy, but before he even had time to entertain that thought, Luffy was practically tackling him into the ground with the force of his joyful embrace.

"Luffy…!" Sabo laughed, barely stopping himself from being knocked over. "What's gotten into you?"

"You never hug me," Luffy explained sheepishly, peering up at Sabo. His dark eyes were practically sparkling. "I thought you wouldn't want to hug me because that's what kids do and we're not kids!"

Sabo knew better than to correct Luffy; they may have been more independent than most adults, but they were still technically kids. It would only make Luffy argue, though. "Well, we _are_ brothers," he said. "And brothers can hug each other."

"Shishishi," Luffy giggled, closing his eyes and giving Sabo another squeeze. "Okay!"

Laughing again, Sabo returned the hug, then carefully untangled himself. Ace would be back any moment, and he wanted to talk to him before the freckled boy started scolding Luffy for winding up in a semi-dangerous situation. "Luffy, can you guard the fish while I go help Ace?"

"Yosh!" Luffy pushed himself up and adopted a serious look on his face, though his eyes were still shining from how pleased he was. It took all of Sabo's willpower to stop from hugging his little brother again.

Still grinning, Sabo headed after Ace, catching him right as he was making his way to their campsite.

"Hey Ace, wait a second," Sabo said, halting him.

"What is it? If we don't start cooking it soon, Luffy's going to try to eat it raw. Again."

Sabo chuckled. That was true. "Right right, this won't take long. Just don't scold him about the fish, okay?"

"Don't scold him? He shouldn't have tried to pull that fish in," Ace scowled at the thought. "This is why I didn't want him trying to help."

"Well, yes," Sabo agreed. "He should have let go, but we were there and he was never in that much danger. Right now he's really happy he helped catch our breakfast, and he _did_ make it easier. I know you want to yell at him a little, but why don't we just let him have this one?"

Ace sighed. "What's with you, Sabo? You're acting weird."

"Am I?" Sabo asked. He frowned. "I didn't think I was acting any differently…"

"You're not acting differently, you're just acting… weird."

"How am I acting weird?"

Ace rolled his eyes, handing some of the wood over so Sabo could help him carry it. "Anyway why does it matter so much if I scold him for being an idiot? He'll still be happy once he starts eating."

"Because he's really proud of himself right now," Sabo answered. "And he wants us to be just as proud. If you scold him, he's going to feel bad."

"So we're supposed to overlook the fact that he did something stupid _and_ ignored us when we told him to let go… why?" Ace glanced at Sabo as they started walking back.

"Well, he's our little brother now, Ace," Sabo explained, shrugging his shoulders and grinning. "We can overlook it sometimes, can't we?"

Satisfied that Ace would take his words to heart, Sabo jogged ahead. He didn't want to keep Luffy waiting any longer, and the chances of Luffy getting into trouble without them there were always higher than average. With their luck, a larger predator would come after the fish and Luffy would try to fight it off alone.

Thankfully, Luffy was alone when they got back, still in a determined pose. He turned to greet his brothers when he heard them coming, absolutely beaming and waving. "I guarded our breakfast!" he announced proudly.

"Good job," Sabo praised, grinning back and hurrying over so they could get the fire started. Ace simply nodded, obviously lost in thought as they worked on getting the fish cooking. By the time it was ready to eat, their clothes were mostly dry, although Sabo's hat still felt waterlogged and his jacket was taking far longer than their shirts, causing him to forego those articles of clothing until they were done eating.

"Oi, Luffy," Ace said, halting the drooling boy before he could grab his portion. "Next time, listen to us. Okay?"

"Okay!" Luffy agreed easily, smiling his overly infectious smile.

Ace quickly looked away, scowling at nothing while a light blush rose on his cheeks again. He tossed a third of the fish over to Luffy - the middle and best part in their opinions - to distract him. He didn't look at Sabo either, since the blonde was grinning brightly at Ace's words.

* * *

"Hey, Sabo."

Sabo opened his eyes, twisting a little to try and look at Ace in the dim light. They'd long since finished their training and hunting for the day, grateful that Dadan had allowed them to go without a bath since they'd all been in the river already. Luffy was snoring on his sleeping mat again, happily mumbling about meat and fish and being the pirate king.

He hadn't been sleeping of course, just relaxing while listening to the sounds of home again. If he'd realized Ace was still awake, he might have tried to strike up a conversation first. "Hm?"

"Earlier today," Ace kept his voice soft, clearly not wanting anyone to overhear. "I didn't think about it that way."

"Think about what?" Sabo rolled to look at him, eyebrows going up a bit when Ace sat up. He pushed himself up as well, giving Ace his full attention.

"When you said Luffy was our little brother now," Ace kept his back to Sabo. "I wasn't really thinking about it. Being a big brother, I mean."

A knowing smile touched Sabo's lips. "Ah. That's why you were so quiet earlier. You really didn't think about that when we exchanged sake cups?"

Ace pushed a hand through his hair. "I guess I didn't. Family isn't exactly my area of expertise."

"Hey, it's not mine either," Sabo made a face even though Ace wasn't looking at him. "But well… everyone knows big brothers protect their younger siblings. That's why they're born first."

"Everyone knows that?" Ace's voice was skeptical. "How come I've never heard it?"

"You don't get out much," Sabo answered simply. "And anyway, that's just what I think. You don't have to feel the same way. We're family now though, so I've decided to be what I think a big brother should be."

"What about me?"

"Well… you should do the same thing. Figure out what kind of brother you want to be, and be it. Nothing really changed between us anyway. You said that earlier."

"I guess," Ace sighed, shoulders slumping. "Maybe we're thinking too much. You know Luffy's not thinking about it at all."

Sabo chuckled. "Not the way we are, no." He was silent for a few moments before he continued, smiling thoughtfully. "You know… we might not have changed much, but the word, _kyoudai,_ it did change something."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked, finally turning to look at his blonde friend. Even in the dark, Sabo could see his brooding expression.

"I mean… don't you think to everyone else, they'll hear us say it and think it's just a word? The Nobles back in High Town won't recognize us as family just because we say we are, but who cares? It might just be a word, but it makes us happy, doesn't it?" Sabo's smile widened. "Having a family - a family I chose, not the family I was forced to be a part of - it makes me happy."

Ace was silent, but there was a softness in his expression that was rarely - if ever - seen by anyone else.

"Ace… Sabo…" Luffy rolled onto his stomach, flopping off his sleeping mat and partially onto Sabo's.

Sabo ruffled Luffy's sleep-mussed hair and pulled the blanket back over him. He moved to lie back down, not bothering to push Luffy back onto his own mat. He didn't mind if Luffy shared his. They never stayed perfectly still on their own mats anyway. "Goodnight, Ace."

"Night," Ace answered quietly, remaining where he was for a little while. He was the last one to curl up and go to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! As always, reviews taste like cookies and I hope everyone enjoyed! I adore the relationship between ASL. It'll be a while before I get my AUs up and going, so hopefully I can update this regularly, especially as the new chapters fuel my brotherly love fire.**

 **Next up will be Ace's chapter :)**


	2. Otouto

**A/N: Ta-da! I'm alive! I think I'll try to keep updating this once a week. The reviews and faves/follows made me so giddy and happy. Thank you guys so much! You have no idea what it means to me ^_^ I Baby5'd like a total nerd.**

 **So, as with each chapter, I have Ascaisil read it over to make sure I didn't do something stupid or repeat words (my brain auto corrects when I reread my own stuff, so I never catch it) and she brought up an interesting point that I feel the need to explain.**

 **My interpretation of Sabo comes from my understanding that he is educated and intelligent, even if he ran away from home and lived on his own at a young age (I consider it canon that he ran away at 5 if he and Ace were collecting their fund together for 5 years) while continuing his education on his own as best as possible. It's also my understanding that he would know Ace well enough to understand what he might be thinking, or how he might be reacting to specific situations. I figure no one has better insight to what Ace is thinking at this time. Also given their level of life experience and jaded views on the world, I see them as far more mature than any 10 year old I've ever met. This is a big influence on the interaction between Sabo and his brothers for me. Sorry if anyone sees it as OOC :)**

 **The first three chapters will be the only ones focusing so much on character analyzation; a 3-part prologue, of sorts. Once they each find their answer, I have plenty of adventures and moments from the manga/show (I take from both, but mostly I'm fitting my story into the manga timeline with inspiration from the anime) cooking. For the record, I have 24 chapters already planned out, all taking place while they're children. Don't even get me started on the chapters I've got planned out for Sabo with the Revolutionaries or Ace with the Whitebeard Pirates :3 Apparently I only have two settings. "Epic story" or "I lied about this being a one-shot".**

 **I don't own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **Kyoudai = Brother (Can be used collectively to refer to siblings, but is more commonly used for brothers)**

 **Otouto= Younger Brother**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: Otouto_

* * *

" _It might just be a word, but it makes us happy, doesn't it? Having a family - a family I chose, not the family I was forced to be a part of - it makes me happy."_

Ace had no idea how long he remained sitting on his sleeping mat with those words echoing in his head, watching Sabo drift off. He wondered if Sabo had sat up the previous night, lost in thought while neither brother noticed. Sabo was the kind of person to really analyze a situation to understand it. Ace was the kind of person to act on instinct. It was why their fighting styles complimented each other. Ace usually served as the initial distraction of sheer brute force, and if anything went wrong, Sabo already had a backup plan or solution to their predicament. It had been like that for as long as Ace could remember. If Ace was struggling this much, had Sabo struggled more?

No. Ace doubted it. Despite how aloof Sabo could act, Sabo had always been the more accepting and open of the two. Thinking back on the day they'd met, Ace had been the distrustful one. Sabo had been the one to welcome him first, even if it had been to both their benefits and not just out of the kindness of his own heart. Back then, Ace wouldn't have even offered such an arrangement - having to trust someone else - no matter how much easier it made everything. He'd realized early in life that unconditional love and trust were things only idiots gave, a sentiment he'd expressed to Sabo from the very beginning. Whether or not Sabo saw it the same way, he could never be sure, although Sabo's actions leaned more towards agreement. Neither one of them had ever been given a situation where they'd had unconditional love or trust - or given it for that matter. He and Sabo had come to trust each other out of necessity. Neither one had been willing to set aside their past experience and simply accept that this new person could be different.

Ace wasn't sure when that had changed. No, that was a lie. He remembered perfectly well the day that had served as a turning point in their friendly arrangement. After that… he'd opened up a little more, and a real friendship had started to form. Sabo was the only one he'd trusted with that particular secret. Of course, now that he knew where Sabo came from, he could understand a little more why Sabo had been so quick to dismiss his origins.

" _You're you, not your father, right? Why should it matter where we came from?"_

That question had set so much of Ace's worry at ease. Yet now, it also came with a stab of guilt. How had Sabo felt, saying that without divulging any information about his own father? Just telling them the other day had seemed like such a struggle, like Ace or Luffy would feel angry or betrayed that he wasn't an orphan like them. Or like they'd judge him based on what the other nobles were like. Luffy was too much of an idiot to think that way, and Ace… well, he'd be a hypocrite if he did. It was a little insulting to think it had taken Sabo so long to tell him, but at the same time, it was a little comforting, too. It meant… well, it meant Sabo had similar insecurities. Sabo, who had always seemed so confident and educated was a kid just like him.

Of course, Ace wasn't sure it mattered very much in the grand scheme of things. They were both kids, but Sabo always seemed to just _know_ so much more than he did. Like the whole 'big brother' issue.

As if to prove a point, Luffy began to mumble in his sleep, stirring as if he might wake up. Even in his sleep, Sabo seemed to automatically know what to do. Since Luffy was already half on his mat, the slumbering blonde tugged him closer, and as Ace watched, Luffy happily snuggled right into him and quieted down. A content smile formed on Sabo's lips, and then he started to snore softly. Sabo claimed to have no experience with family, but even knowing that was true, how did he handle Luffy so easily? If Luffy had done that to him, his reaction probably would have been to shove him off so he could sleep comfortably. Sabo's decision… was it already altering his instincts so he could do things like that without even needing to think about it?

 _Otouto._

Was it really that special?

He hadn't thought specifically about what it would mean. They were already close. He didn't feel any different about them than he had the day before, did he? Yet that word sent an odd feeling through him. He couldn't quite explain what it was like. Did making it official and being able to use that word really have that much of an impact?

It clearly did for Sabo. Then again, Sabo had always been soft on Luffy. Maybe it was more of an excuse for Sabo to stop holding back. If Sabo hid behind that word, _otouto,_ then he could argue with Ace about how much he coddled Luffy. Like skipping a well deserved scolding so Luffy could feel accomplished about a stupid fish.

Sighing, Ace flopped back down on his sleeping mat, staring up at the ceiling. Why was he letting it bug him this much? It wasn't that big of a deal if Sabo wanted to interpret it that way. There was no need for him to assume the same thing would be expected from him. Sabo had even told him that, so why was it nagging him to the point of keeping him awake? Was he really supposed to change his behavior now that he had a little brother? It seemed unfair to tell him he had to figure it out for himself. He didn't know what a big brother was supposed to be. He'd never paid much attention to other kids interacting with each other, and it wasn't like he had access to the books Sabo had read growing up.

It wasn't like he could even read those books if he wanted. Sabo had taught him the basics of reading and writing, but he'd lost interest in the topic once he'd figured he'd learned enough. It was the same reason Dadan had given up on trying to teach him anything as a child, although Sabo's patience was still much better than hers. At least with Sabo, Ace had actually _learned_ something.

He could hear Luffy mumbling in his sleep again - did he _ever_ shut up? - but the only thing he could really understand in the sleepy ramblings was the sound of his name or Sabo's.

Ace sighed again, flinging one of his arms over his closed eyes. If he didn't fall asleep soon, he'd be lagging behind in the morning. Sabo would know he'd stressed over it. Luffy's antics would annoy him easier, and Sabo would give him that disapproving look if he snapped at the boy over something so stupid. He should have known better than to try and analyze things. That was Sabo's job, not his.

* * *

Ace had no idea when he'd finally drifted off to sleep, only that he must have at some point. It didn't seem like he hadn't gotten enough rest to start the day, but then again his abrupt wake-up call was disorienting. The first sensation was a sharp pain to his stomach, followed by the clingy grasp of something wrapping around his torso.

Apparently, Luffy had decided the best way to wake his freckled brother would be to jump on him in an excited hug and loudly proclaim it was a good morning.

"Ugh," Ace tried to sit up and catch his breath, pushing at the rubbery weight on his stomach and chest, but Luffy had latched on tightly. "What are you doing?" he griped.

"Waking up Ace!" Luffy proclaimed, looking proud of himself. He gave an incredibly wide smile, seemingly unaware that Ace was trying to pry him off.

"Well I'm awake now, you can get off," Ace grumbled, nursing his ribs where Luffy's knee had dug in. "And why did you jump on me? You're clinging."

"I'm giving you a hug!" Luffy exclaimed, wrapping his arms a bit tighter.

"Well I don't-"

"Luffy," Sabo interrupted, cutting Ace off with a smile. "Want to go get breakfast?"

"Food!" Luffy let go of Ace and jumped on Sabo instead. The blonde had anticipated it, catching Luffy and patting his back when he was treated to the same enthusiastic hug Ace had just received - although with less pain since he was standing and Luffy hadn't _landed_ on him.

Sabo chuckled, ruffling Luffy's hair. He was already fully awake and dressed. While Ace grumbled and untangled from his blanket, Sabo helped Luffy hurry up and get ready. Dadan was on the warpath already, which likely meant they'd have to evade her screeching for chores and run for it. There was no doubting she'd heard Luffy's exuberant wake-up call, so they didn't have long before she'd try to snag them.

"Weird," Ace muttered, shaking his head as he pulled his shoes on. If either brother heard him, they didn't react to it. Unless of course, Ace counted the half grin Sabo gave at the word, like he knew it was directed at him and he thought it was amusing now.

"Let's hurry before Dadan notices we're awake," Sabo said, plopping Luffy's hat on the raven-haired boy's head.

Ace made his way over to the ledge, peering out and watching Dadan's movements. She was barking orders at one of the other bandits over the laundry piling up. "If we time it right, she won't be able to latch onto any of us."

Sabo nodded once. "On three, okay?"

Luffy nodded as well, puffing up a bit while Sabo silently initiated the countdown with hand motions. As soon as they hit zero, all three boys jumped. Sabo and Ace easily used the leverage from landing on one foot to propel themselves forward, but Luffy messed up his landing with a yelp, _bouncing._ Dadan whirled around and made a grab for him, but Luffy extended his hand very quickly and managed to grab onto Ace's wrist.

Feeling the light tug, Ace jerked his arm forward to pull Luffy along, just barely clearing him of Dadan's sudden lunge. She hit the floor behind them, shouting over the sound of Luffy's giggle.

Luffy's arm snapped back into shape, causing Ace to stumble briefly, but Luffy easily flipped over and landed on his feet when he let go, falling into pace beside his brothers while they ran.

"Nice one," Sabo complimented them, snickering as Dadan's shouts started to lose volume with distance.

Ace grinned, suddenly feeling wide awake. That had worked out rather nicely, hadn't it? "Let's go get breakfast."

* * *

"Is it still bothering you?"

Ace blinked, finally registering that Sabo was addressing him. Moments earlier, Sabo's full attention had been focused on Luffy while the younger boy happily rambled. They'd fallen into routine easily, catching breakfast and then fighting each other. As always, Luffy had lost miserably, though Sabo had continued encouraging him to try harder while Ace had simply teased him into a flurry of baseless claims of strength. It was still too early to be dinner, but Luffy had complained about being hungry even after the large lunch they'd all eaten, so they'd done a little hunting to tide them over before they found dinner.

He blinked again, glancing over at Luffy. The youngest was lying on his back with a big grin, fast asleep.

"When did he fall asleep?" Ace asked, frowning.

"Wow, you haven't been listening at all, have you?" Sabo shook his head, but he was grinning. "A little while ago. I figured he had time to take a nap before we find something to bring back to Dadan."

"Well he was rambling," Ace shrugged his shoulders and looked to the campfire they'd cooked their meat on. It was dying down. "I don't know how you pay attention when he does that."

Sabo laughed softly. "It's not all nonsense, Ace."

"If you say so."

"And anyway, you're just trying to avoid my question," Sabo said knowingly. "So…?"

"So what?"

"So is it still bothering you?"

"I mean who cares if I'm avoiding your question."

Sabo's grin slipped, annoyance flashing in his observant eyes. "So the answer is yes."

Ace sighed, scowling at his best friend. "It's not exactly _bothering_ me. Does it matter if I'm still thinking about it?"

"I guess not," Sabo let out a small sigh, his irritation giving way to sympathy. "You just seemed upset."

"I'm not upset," Ace muttered, pushing a hand through his unruly black hair. "I just…"

Sabo waited patiently, leaning back a little to watch Ace struggle with the words. The freckled youth was clearly agitated, but Sabo didn't press him to talk sooner than he was ready. Despite the tension, the silence was oddly comfortable. They'd always been able to fall into the routine of not needing to say anything when it had only been the two of them. With Luffy in the mix, if he was awake, the silence never lasted.

"Nothing really changed," Ace recalled the words they'd spoken the night before. "You said the word makes us happy, but I guess it just didn't impact me the same way."

"That's a lie," Sabo shook his head. "You can already tell there's a change. You're just worrying over nothing."

"There's no change," Ace snapped, glaring at Sabo. "I don't want to coddle Luffy like you do just because he's my little brother now. If anyone asks, I can say you two are my brothers, and that'll never change, but that doesn't mean I'll act any differently from how we've been acting since the beginning."

Sabo sighed, removing his hat. "If that's how you want to think about it, that's fine, Ace. It's just not true."

"How would you know?"

"I know you better than anyone else," Sabo pointed out. "And it's not like you have to worry about me telling Luffy about this, so I don't know why you won't admit it."

Ace sighed in frustration, shoving his hand into his hair and messing it up. He hated that it felt complicated. It wasn't supposed to be. "So explain it to me. Why does everything have to be so confusing just because we can use the word 'otouto' now?"

Sabo gave a sympathetic smile. "It's not confusing unless you try to deny it, Ace. Okay, here's an example. When we fought Luffy today, did you hold back?"

"Of course not. Why, did you?"

"Of course not. That's what I mean. We still train just as hard, and other than taking precautions for his reckless behavior, we're not holding him back to keep him safe."

"Like the river," Ace scowled.

"Yes, like the river. He doesn't need to help us fish because of his Devil Fruit, but in the forest, we still accept his help," Sabo explained. "And unless he's obviously in over his head or not paying attention -I know, it happens all the time, don't look at me like that - then we're not only focusing on him, right?"

"So what's your point?" Ace asked impatiently, resting both hands on his thighs and leaning forward a bit.

"Remember when Porchemy came looking for us?" Sabo asked. The change in topic threw Ace off, and for a moment, Ace wasn't sure how to respond.

"Yeah," Ace nodded. "What about it?"

"Right after it happened, we were able to talk about it without getting worked up or anything," Sabo continued. "But think about it right now."

Ace frowned, then shrugged and decided to just follow Sabo's lead. If Sabo was trying to make a point, he'd listen to it, after all. He looked to the fire, trying to dredge up specific memories of the event, starting from Luffy finding their hidden treasure stash and flailing around like an idiot. A twinge of guilt hit him then. He and Sabo had worried about the treasure more than Luffy's safety, and it had been hours before they'd even gone to help. It was honestly still a bit of a miracle that they'd made it in time to save Luffy. He may have chastised the younger boy for crying, but the wounds _had_ looked painful, and there was no telling how many of those spiked punches had hit the same spots without leaving new gouges. Back then he never would have expected someone like Luffy to be able to handle torture like that, and finding out the reason why…

"Do you have any idea how pissed off you look?" Sabo interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" Ace looked up, and to his chagrin, felt the change in his face. His expression had been an intense glare that only dissipated a little when Sabo called attention to it.

"You were thinking about how hurt Luffy was, weren't you?" Sabo guessed. "Back then, we just moved past it because he recovered, but now… it's the same for you, right? Looking back on it, we're seeing a time when we were more worried about treasure than whether or not someone was torturing our little brother. And before you try to deny it, it has nothing to do with guilt over him trying to keep our secret. I should know. I'm in the same boat as you, remember?"

Ace shut his mouth and scowled, looking away.

Sabo smiled, though it was a little exasperated. "Don't worry about it, Ace. It's natural to feel like that. The only reason it's bugging you is because we've never had to feel like that before."

"You know, he doesn't have any scars from it."

Ace lifted his head again, glancing over at his blonde brother as he changed the topic slightly. "Luffy, I mean. He had a lot of wounds, but none of them scarred."

"I was thinking about that too," Sabo admitted. "I think it's because of his Devil Fruit ability."

"Rubber doesn't scar?" Ace asked dryly.

"He can still be cut, so he can still scar. I just don't think he gets scars as easily as a regular human," Sabo clarified. "Maybe because those were puncture wounds. Or maybe rubber reforms itself easier than regular skin?"

"He has a scar on his face," Ace motioned to the sleeping boy. "How do you explain that?"

"Maybe he got it before he ate his fruit," Sabo guessed. "Or it was a really bad wound and it would have left a huge scar on a regular person?"

Their eyes met, and both brothers felt themselves scowling a little.

"Let's just assume he got it before he turned into rubber," Sabo said diplomatically, to which Ace quickly agreed. After all, if that _wasn't_ the right reason… they were going to have to find out who could have hurt Luffy badly enough to leave a scar.

* * *

Sabo's words stuck with him even after Luffy woke up and they went hunting. It didn't seem like Luffy noticed he was distracted, but every once in a while, Sabo would glance over and Ace would find himself scowling at nothing in particular. As always, Luffy had been excited and animated at the idea of eating, bouncing along behind them while they carried their kill. His bouncing had made carrying the dead animal more annoying than it needed to be, but Sabo hadn't told him to knock it off. The conversation had still been fresh enough in Ace's mind that he'd let it slide as well.

Dinner had been normal as well. Complete pandemonium was actually welcome at that point, as Ace was able to tune out most of his thoughts and fall into the routine of fighting over food. They'd apparently managed to run through enough of Dadan's energy with their antics that she simply ordered them all to bed once the meal was over, and a delighted Luffy raced up the ladder before she could change her mind and try to throw them in the bath.

Ace was the last one up. By the time he stepped into their room, Sabo had already taken off his hat and jacket, and an excited Luffy was flailing and talking about a new idea he had for an attack.

Just as Ace made it to his sleeping mat, movement out of the corner of his eye had his body tensing. There was no way Luffy was going to try for a sneak attack, was there? He whirled around, ready to intercept, only to stumble and blink as the shorter boy's rubbery arms wound around his waist and a happy face disappeared against his chest.

"What the hell, Luffy?" Ace grumbled once he'd regained his balance. He looked up at Sabo to share his annoyance, but the other boy was giving him a sharp look.

"Shishishi," Luffy giggled, hugging a little tighter. "Goodnight, Ace!"

Rubber arms retracted, and then Luffy was running over to Sabo and tackling him in a hug as well. Sabo's sharp look was instantly gone, replaced with an indulging grin as he returned the hug.

"Goodnight, Sabo!"

"Goodnight, Luffy," Sabo echoed, releasing him so the youngest boy could flop onto his sleeping mat.

As Luffy pulled his blanket up, Sabo shifted closer to Ace and kept his voice low. "I told him he could hug us because we're family now. Just deal with it."

"You what?" Ace hissed back. "That's why he jumped on me this morning, isn't it?"

"It makes him happy," Sabo retorted. "It's just a hug."

Ace threw his hands up in frustration. He saw Sabo roll his eyes, but chose to ignore it as they both got under their blankets. It made a little more sense now, why Luffy had started acting so clingy. He'd always seemed to be more of a physically affectionate person, but Ace wasn't used to physical affection of any kind. Whenever Luffy had tried to cling in the past, he'd just pushed him off - and that hadn't seemed to deter the cheerful boy, either. Now, to find out Sabo had given him permission to do that… why did he have to cling to Ace too? Ace had never given his permission.

His cheeks burned a little, causing him to scowl up at the ceiling. It wasn't really that bad. He didn't necessarily want to be woken up that way - because honestly, Luffy didn't seem to know how to discern when he was giving someone a hug or trying to knock out a giant beast - but it wasn't like he'd really minded the hug Luffy had just given him. Almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Sabo's words from earlier came back to bite him.

" _You can already tell there's a change. You're just worrying over nothing."_

Ace hated having to admit Sabo was right, but there was no point denying it. Talking about Luffy's ordeal with Porchemy and wondering about his scar had more or less cemented the argument in favor of Sabo. Before their toast, of course he would have been angry if someone had hurt one of them. No matter the circumstances, they had come together as friends with no one else to rely on. He'd always been more willing to put himself in danger than risk either of them.

Now… the mere reminder of Luffy being hurt when he could have prevented it was enough to bring his rage to the surface. The thought of someone hurting Sabo made him just as furious. Was that what Sabo meant? The change they were all feeling? It was strange associating the rage inside of him with a protective instinct, but only because he was calling attention to that fact. Whenever it had to do with his… with Roger, the rage was a way for him to vent his own frustrations with the man who had left him with such a cursed existence. Ugly emotions like hatred and self-loathing would take over, making him lash out at anyone he could, if only to make them suffer for reminding him.

It felt different when his brothers were involved. He was angry on their behalf, not his own. With that thought in his head, he figured he was going to have another annoyingly sleepless night.

"Shishishi," Luffy's quiet giggle broke the silence, making Ace glance over. He didn't move though, unsure if Luffy realized he was still awake. He could tell Sabo had shifted, also awake.

"Big brothers sure are nice to have," Luffy whispered to himself.

Ace felt the weight of that statement as clearly as he'd felt Luffy slam into him that very morning. He didn't need to look to know Luffy was wearing that impossibly wide grin on his face. They'd joked that Luffy probably hadn't thought about it, but that whisper proved he had. The subtle differences he and Sabo had barely considered a change in their dynamic, things they'd assumed Luffy wouldn't even notice, had clearly impacted the youngest of the trio.

His cheeks were burning again. It was a simple statement - an incredibly innocent observation - and the fact that it filled him so completely with warmth made him equal parts embarrassed and pleased. It was just like Sabo had told him. He didn't have to think too much on it or worry about it. He hadn't altered his behavior with Luffy, at least not outwardly, and Luffy was still happy to have him as a big brother. There really was no point in stressing out about what he had to be with his new role. They were brothers now, and however they chose to express or define that was up to them.

The rustling of a blanket had him turning just slightly, risking the chance that Luffy would see he was awake. All he could see were small hands gripping the blanket and an unruly mop of black hair mostly covered along with that damn infectious grin. Much like the times when Luffy would hide under the rim of his beloved straw hat to hide his pleased or happily embarrassed expressions, he'd pulled the blanket up despite thinking both of his brothers were asleep.

Ace didn't need Sabo to tell him how his face looked in that moment. He could feel his own smile tugging at his lips, and the relaxed feeling in his body was welcome. How often did he feel relaxed anymore, like he didn't have an ugly darkness in his heart, ready to come forth at any moment? It hadn't surfaced… well, since the three of them had started working together.

His eyes flickered to Sabo's mat, and for a brief moment, their gazes locked. Then Sabo was smiling at him, the same bright look Luffy was always giving them. It was instinct for Ace to quickly turn away from that smile - hide his own - but he managed not to.

Understanding flashed in Sabo's eyes, and before Ace could start to feel uncomfortable, the blonde had settled back onto his mat to go to sleep. Ace returned his gaze to the ceiling, smile fading into a relaxed expression.

 _Otouto._

What would Sabo think, if he knew that Ace was the oldest? They'd never celebrated their birthdays or talked about their ages, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Ace was born on the first day of the first month. Unless Sabo was also born on the first, there was no possible way for him to be older. It wasn't like Sabo had any way of knowing that, and it wasn't like Ace cared either way. They had to be close enough in age that it wouldn't matter. Sabo was on equal footing with him in terms of skill and capability. He had a feeling Sabo hadn't addressed it at all because of his stance on what big brothers were for. Protecting their little brother. If he knew his friend as well as he thought he did, then it meant Sabo didn't want himself or Ace worrying about each other over Luffy.

Well, it wasn't like they'd have to, right?

Even as he thought that, his expression darkened a little. Sabo was just as important to him as Luffy was. They were _both_ his brothers, even if he only called one of them 'otouto'. If anyone hurt either of them, Ace wouldn't hesitate to make the culprit pay for it.

The soft buzz of Luffy's snoring broke him out of his thoughts, causing his content expression to resurface. He had his answer, and he wanted to make sure Sabo knew that.

"Hey, Sabo?" he murmured. He doubted Sabo would have fallen asleep so quickly, and now that Luffy was snoring, he wasn't worried about catching the younger boy's attention.

"Yeah?" Sabo answered just as quietly.

"We sure have our work cut out for us, with such an idiot for a little brother, huh?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Sabo was laughing softly. "Yeah, we do."

* * *

 **A/N: Ace was a lot harder to write than Sabo xD he kept running off on tangents and I was like "Wait, come back! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" He didn't listen.**

 **Next up is Luffy ^_^**


	3. Niichan

**A/N: Hi everyone! So to start things off, blame Beyond Kailani for my solidified headcanon that Sabo taught Luffy how to use his pipe. And by blame, I mean go read all of her stories. Like, now :3 Or soon. Also blame her for the fact that I've started a NEW epic including the ASL trio and the Whitebeard Pirates. Dang it, woman! Too many stories!**

 **Thank you so much to the people who reviewed! You have no idea how happy it makes me.**

 **This chapter is all about Luffy. I mentioned before I have like 24 chapters planned, but if anyone has any scenes or ideas they'd like to see the trio go through, feel free to let me know, and I'll see if it's doable with what I already have.**

 **Dedicated as always to Ascaisil. Thank you for reading and nitpicking and making my life easier. Love ya!**

 **This chapter was partly inspired by chapter 585, page 14. Bottom panel :3**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **Kyoudai = Brother (can be used collectively to refer to siblings, but is more commonly used for brothers)**

 **Otouto = Younger Brother**

 **Niichan = Older Brother**

* * *

 _Chapter 3: Niichan_

* * *

Luffy landed on his mat with a wide grin, happily pulling the blankets up to his neck. He was exhausted and comfortable, but a giddy energy was racing through his rubber body. He didn't pay much attention to the conversation Ace and Sabo seemed to be having - Ace looked annoyed, but no one looked serious or truly upset - so he didn't mind it.

As his brothers both settled into their sleeping mats as well, Luffy tried to calm himself down and get some rest so they could start anew in the morning. As long as he got out before Dadan caught him, it would be another amazing day with new adventures and a new chance to beat Ace or Sabo in a fight.

That energy was back, racing through him and making him practically vibrate. He couldn't help it. It had been a long time since he'd been so excited. It was almost insane to think that a couple of days ago, his grandfather had been his only family. Even though he was close to plenty of people, and especially Makino back in the village, he'd never had brothers before.

He hadn't been sure what would happen when they'd toasted. Aside from a sharp taste which hadn't been all that pleasant, the sake hadn't seemed to do anything special. Still, Ace had claimed they would be brothers from that day on, so Luffy decided sake was a mystery drink and that was that. At the time, he hadn't realized how wonderful having brothers could be.

First, there was the hugging. Brothers could hug each other without having to worry. Sabo had said so, which meant it had to be true. He'd even tried it out on Ace, and while Ace didn't return hugs as well as Sabo did - maybe Ace needed Sabo to teach him how? - he'd still let Luffy hug him without as much resistance as the last time Luffy had tried it.

Secondly, there was the knowledge that no matter where he went or what he did, he could always say he had big brothers. It was like he'd never be alone again, because he'd always have that bond.

That giddy energy wouldn't go away. What would Makino say when he proudly introduced her to his big brothers? She knew how much he hated being alone. Surely this would cheer her up since she hadn't gotten to see him a while. She wouldn't have to worry about him being lonely since he had his brothers. His big brothers.

 _Niichan._

He gripped the blanket a little tighter. Both boys were older, so they were both technically 'niichan' to him. When he introduced them, that was the word he got to use, wasn't it? His grin started to stretch his face a little, making him giggle with embarrassment. Thankfully, both of his brothers were likely asleep and hadn't heard him getting all excited and worked up over what Ace would call 'nothing'. It wasn't nothing, though.

All his life, he'd been surrounded by people. He got along with most everyone, and even when people seemed annoyed, they were never outright mean to him. Except for bandits, anyway. Still… even though he'd usually had people near him in the village, part of him had been alone. It was easier when Shanks had been around. Despite Makino almost always being there to look after him, she just didn't understand him the way Shanks and the rest of the crew had. He'd never really felt like he had a home at the village, but being around Shanks had been the closest he could associate that feeling to.

When his grandfather had dragged him - literally - up the mountain, he'd been so worried he'd be stuck with the bandits and have no one to talk to. That had changed the moment he'd heard about Ace, but it had taken forever to get Ace to become his friend. Then there was Sabo. He'd been Ace's friend first, and while he was always nicer than Ace, when it came to picking sides, they usually picked each other. They weren't just friends anymore though. They were brothers. From what Luffy could tell, that meant they were on equal footing. That feeling of 'home' he'd always craved had finally come to him.

The best part about being brothers had to be the hugs, though. Hands down. Well, no… that wasn't entirely true. Being able to use that word, _niichan…_ the fact that it made him feel like he never had to be alone again, _that_ was definitely the best part.

"Big brothers sure are nice to have," he whispered happily, closing his eyes.

His hands clutched the blankets a little tighter, and he shyly brought the fabric up over his face, hiding. It was a habit. Even if his brothers were sleeping, he felt like he should hide how silly his face looked right then. His smile just wouldn't go away.

Thinking about Makino had actually cheered him up for once, too. He'd missed having her around, so thinking about her usually made him want to go back to the village to visit, even though he knew he'd get in trouble. Now he was determined to see her again sometime soon so he could tell her all about his brothers and let her know she didn't need to worry about him anymore. After all, she'd looked really sad when Garp had taken him away - just as sad as she'd looked when Shanks had left. He hoped Makino wasn't too lonely. He really should go see her soon.

* * *

"YOU DAMN BRATS!"

Luffy giggled, racing behind Sabo as fast as his little legs could carry him. Dadan had tried a new tactic that morning, going as far as to have several others ready to snatch and catch when they inevitably jumped to run away. Sabo had seen it though, and had quickly whispered to his brothers about this new development. That was when Luffy had gotten a fantastic idea to help them go farther. Ace had seemed a little wary of it, but Sabo had reasoned that it was worth a shot, and the worst case scenario would be a few bruises along with them getting caught.

They'd gotten ready as quietly as possible, and then Luffy had grabbed onto the edges of the doorframe while Ace and Sabo pulled him back. There wasn't much room to stretch, but it was enough to give them more of a boost than a simple jump would. The moment Sabo - who was in the middle of the ASL sandwich - had told him to go, he'd pulled forward to make his body snap back into place. He'd almost forgotten to let go of the frame, but Ace's reminder of "Let go, idiot!" had helped. They'd shot over the bandits, managing to separate right before they'd hit the wall, then used the momentum to kick back off of that wall and weave through the bandits' defenses with little difficulty.

Luffy had particularly enjoyed how animated Dadan had gotten when he'd managed to narrowly evade her grasp, causing her to tumble forward and faceplant.

"That wasn't bad," Sabo chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Luffy when the younger boy finally stopped with his cheerful laughter. "But don't try that when we're fighting unless we say so!"

"Yeah, you'd probably rocket yourself right into a bear's mouth or something," Ace snickered.

"I would not!" Luffy immediately protested, flailing his arms while they ran.

"He would," Sabo agreed, looking at Ace.

"Or into a tree…"

"Or off a bridge."

"Or he'd miss completely and eat dirt," Ace continued the back and forth.

"Jerks!" Luffy put on a burst of speed to catch up, and protest, but the older boys managed to stay ahead of him.

Ace and Sabo both laughed, and even though Luffy was practically growling after them, he found himself grinning again as they continued on. It was hard to let anything sour his mood.

By the time they'd hunted down breakfast and decided on their goals for the day, Luffy had already forgotten about their teasing. Since they'd been doing a lot of training lately, Sabo had the great idea to head down to Gray Terminal to see about getting a board or something to keep score on. He'd been writing it in the dirt, but the ground was getting too torn up to keep trying to brush over it when they needed a clean slate.

* * *

Luffy scrunched his nose, examining the handful of chalk he'd collected with a frown. He'd accidentally damaged the large piece of wood they'd initially found, causing both Sabo and Ace to scold him. The board had been wedged under quite a bit of junk, and while Ace and Sabo had discussed moving the pile off of it, Luffy had taken matters into his own hands and tried pulling it free. The resulting garbage avalanche had caused them to grab him and yank him backwards, the three of them narrowly avoiding being buried in trash, but the board hadn't been so lucky.

After the scolding - and an unfair fist to the head from Ace - they'd sent him off to gather chalk instead.

He grumbled, feeling around for pockets and remembering the one pocket he did have was ripped. He needed something to carry the chalk in. Dark eyes flickered back to his brothers. Sabo and Ace were still digging the board out, hoping to salvage it. They'd told him not to wander too far away, but it wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself.

Luffy glanced over his shoulder. It looked like there were some small baskets or rounded pieces of garbage closer to the city walls that he could use so he didn't have to have chalk all over his hands. Besides, they'd been fighting thugs from the city _and_ pirates from the cove on a regular basis, so it wasn't like anything could surprise them. He headed over to inspect the dirty basket he'd initially seen, frowning when he noticed it was ripped. He was immediately distracted by something shiny a little closer to the wall, setting the chalk down in the basket anyway and then setting the basket down so he could go look.

His shoulders sagged when he realized it was just a pair of broken glasses. He'd hoped it would have been treasure or something valuable so he could have given it to his brothers to make up for causing a mess.

"Oi, brat."

Luffy looked up. He was used to just about any adult calling them brats, so he just assumed they meant him.

A small group of a few thugs had come over. They looked like teenagers or maybe adults, but Luffy didn't recognize them. "What do you want?" he asked with no trace of worry for why they'd more or less surrounded him, or why the one addressing him had a knife out.

"I don't see the other little shits today," the man in front noted.

Luffy automatically scowled, getting ready to grab the pipe on his back. "My brothers are here, but I don't need them to kick your ass," he said boldly. He didn't like the man speaking to him. He had dirty blonde hair and big sideburns that didn't match, but it was the twisted scowl and overall feeling of a smug jerk that annoyed him. The fact that he'd referenced Ace and Sabo meant he knew of the trio, or they'd had an encounter with him before.

"Big talk for a little freak," the man snapped, nodding to his companions. "Get him!"

Luffy barely took note that the other two had drawn weapons, because the man in front of him had already taken a swing with his knife. He managed to dodge, but it almost clipped his hat, which had him scowling. There was no time to go for his pipe, so he drew his hand back and formed a fist, but he didn't get the chance to try and punch before one of the other thugs aimed a kick at his face.

The kick itself didn't actually hurt. The landing did, but only because he'd slammed into some pointy objects that poked into his rubbery skin and almost drew blood. "Oof!"

With a growl, Luffy quickly jumped back up, brushing some debris off his arm and taking a fighting stance. He knew he was strong enough to fight, but three on one was pushing it, and it would probably really worry his brothers if he tried to do it alone. They always seemed to think he'd make mistakes or mess up without them. Besides, they were still mad at him over their board, so he didn't want to make them even angrier by making them worry or depriving them of a chance to fight. There was one thug for each of them - that was fair, right?

"Ace! Sabo!" he shouted.

"You little shit!" the one with the sideburns quickly made a grab for Luffy, but his companions didn't back him up. Luffy dove out of the way easily, jumping to his feet and bringing his pipe out in front of him at the same time. Despite not being accustomed to using a weapon, his brothers had made him agree to use it until his aim and strength got better, which according to Ace, would never happen.

The other two thugs had briefly frozen at the sound of those names - and sure enough, Luffy's shout had gotten the attention of the older boys. Within seconds, they had their hands full fending off two very angry brothers. Luffy didn't waste any time, brandishing his pipe the way Sabo had taught him and launching himself at sideburn-guy. It caught him by surprise because he hadn't expected Luffy to attack so quickly, but only for a moment.

Everything after that was a flurry of dodging and being mindful of where his brothers were. His pipe got knocked out of his hands at some point - he was still more comfortable using his fists anyway - but he'd knocked the knife away in the same blow so neither one had a weapon anymore. He stretched his arm back as far as he could, launching it at sideburn-guy. His aim was actually closer than normal, which had him grinning, but the man deflected it by knocking his fist aside.

"Wah!" Luffy stumbled as his arm flung out towards Ace. He vaguely registered Ace's angry shout in his direction, right before the one Ace had been fighting grabbed his wrist.

"Hey!" Sabo had just knocked his opponent down in time to see that Luffy was in trouble, but the recoil was already taking effect.

Luffy felt his body tug, and with another yelp, he flew through the air towards the one holding onto him. It didn't seem like Ace's opponent had expected it though, because his eyes widened as the trajectory brought Luffy flying right into his face.

"Oof!" Luffy flipped from the impact. There was enough force to send them both crashing to the ground, resulting in Luffy landing on the man's chest with a thud. His arm snapped back into place as he sat up, wide eyes blinking from slight confusion. Everyone seemed to stop and give Luffy their full attention.

The man he'd hit was down for the count, mouth open in a grimace. Luffy hadn't been sure he'd hit him very hard, but then, it hadn't felt very hard to him. He was rubber, after all.

"Oh!" Luffy gave a wide grin that seemed to take up half his face as he looked to Ace and Sabo in realization. "Ace! Sabo! I got one!" He pumped both fists into the air over his head to show his victory.

"You idiot," Ace groaned, slapping a hand over his face. "Well, you did knock him out…"

"So just one left now," Sabo grinned, turning his attention to the man with sideburns.

"You shitty little brats!" the man cursed, expression livid.

"Luffy, quit screwing around and get over here," Ace ordered, since Luffy was still sitting on the third thug.

Giggling, Luffy jumped up and started to dash to Ace's side.

"Luffy, look out!" Sabo's sudden shout caught his attention, but not fast enough.

The one with the sideburns lashed out and grabbed Luffy by the front of his shirt. Before anyone could intervene, he'd pulled his hand back and punched Luffy in the face.

Normally, Luffy would just stumble back and resume fighting. Punches didn't hurt unless it came from Garp or Ace… but for some reason, pain exploded from his mouth and nose, his vision blurring briefly. It was just like the time Porchemy had been punching him with the spiked gloves, and a muffled cry escaped as he brought both hands up to cover his face.

He didn't see what happened next, although the grip on his shirt was gone almost instantly. His eyes squeezed shut while he stumbled away from the fight, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth making his stomach churn a little. It was probably because he hadn't eaten enough food, he reasoned. That was usually the only reason for his stomach to feel that way. He vaguely registered the sound of Ace shouting something and the distinct tone of a pipe hitting someone's body over and over.

When the shouting - it sounded like Sabo had been yelling at Ace? - finally stopped, Luffy felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Luffy, are you alright?" Sabo's worried voice made him open his eyes and look up. His vision was still blurry from reflexive tears.

"Yeah," he answered, still muffled from covering his mouth. "That punch hurt… why did it hurt?"

"The bastard had brass knuckles on," Ace spat, coming over and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked absolutely furious.

"Let me see," Sabo knelt by him and tried to move his hands, but Luffy shook his head. He didn't want to let go of his face while it still hurt.

"Oi," Sabo tried again. "Let me see."

"Luffy, move your hands," Ace snapped, sounding angry again.

Luffy winced at the tone, then finally lowered his hands with Sabo's urging.

"Why the hell is he bleeding so much?!" Ace demanded.

"Ace, shut up for a second," Sabo answered impatiently, examining Luffy's mouth. "Ah, his gums are a little cut, and so's his lip, but everything seems to be okay. That probably hurts a lot though, huh?"

Luffy opened his mouth to answer that it did, but Ace already sounded angry. He quickly wiped at his eyes to get rid of the tears there, then sucked in his bottom lip. "It-it doesn't hurt at all!"

Sabo stared at him with a bewildered expression, but he didn't say anything, making Luffy confident he'd believed the lie. Then Sabo sighed, standing back up. "Come on, let's get our stuff and head back."

Ace grumbled something from behind them, but he didn't argue. When Luffy hurried to pick up his broken basket with the chalk, he paused and frowned at his hands. He hadn't noticed there had been blood on them, but the blood didn't really bother him. He just didn't want to get it on the chalk. Wiping both hands off on his shorts, then swiping the back of his arm over his mouth and shutting it to keep anymore blood from escaping, he bent down and scooped his basket up with a hand under it to stop the chalk from falling out.

He hurried to rejoin his brothers, who had waited for him. Once they were together, they headed back to pick up the board, which hadn't been damaged very much at all. Sabo bent down to scoop up a few more pieces he and Ace had agreed on, and then the three began the trek to their training area.

* * *

Luffy couldn't help but pout, staring at Sabo with the largest eyes he could manage. They'd taken their materials back to their practicing spot, but instead of immediately setting it up, Sabo had dragged Luffy to their supply of bandages and medicine. There wasn't much there, but they had to be ready to patch each other up after all.

"Oh Luffy," Sabo sighed, shaking his head with a grin. "Just bear with it for now, okay? You can take it back off when it's time to eat."

"I'm hungry," Luffy said automatically, reaching up to fiddle with the bandage over the top of his lip. It was tickling his nose.

"Well it's not time to eat," Sabo responded with a patient tone. "So you'll have to wait."

"But I'm hungry and my mouth tastes like blood. That's gross," Luffy protested.

"Well quit whining, you're the one who got hit," Ace spoke up sharply from the rock he was sitting on. He'd been short-tempered ever since they'd left the Gray Terminal.

"Ace," Sabo looked over at him, but Luffy was scowling now.

"I only got hit once!" Luffy insisted, jumping up and facing Ace. His mouth felt really weird since Sabo had put something on his gums and lip before forcing him to go with a bandage for a little while. It had tasted strongly of cloves at first. _Mystery medicine,_ Luffy reminded himself. It was making his lip tingle.

"More than once, technically," Sabo corrected. "But only one hit actually hurt you."

"You shouldn't have attacked those assholes," Ace continued, glaring at Luffy. "The only smart thing you've done all day was shout for us to help you."

"I wasn't shouting for you to help me!" Luffy protested, stomping one of his feet. "I was letting you know I was gonna fight! There was one for each of us!"

"Guys," Sabo started, but Ace wasn't listening to him.

"Well if you weren't such an idiot, you would have shouted for _help,_ and a lot sooner than you actually _did_ shout."

"Grr…" Luffy growled. "I wasn't even gonna shout in the first place! I could have handled it!"

"Idiot," Ace muttered again.

"Ace-"

Luffy interrupted Sabo this time. "You're so unfair!" he stomped his foot again, riled up. He'd thought he'd done everything right earlier, but clearly he hadn't. Why was it always so difficult to do what they wanted? "I shouted so you wouldn't get mad at me and you got mad at me anyway!"

Both of his older brothers paused at that statement, studying Luffy's bandaged face. Sabo looked uncertain, which wasn't an expression Luffy was used to seeing on his blonde brother's face. Ace looked outright confused.

"What?" Ace asked. "What do you mean you shouted so I wouldn't get mad at you?"

"You were already mad at me about our board, and I knew you'd be mad if I didn't let you fight with me," Luffy explained. Some of his anger faded, and his shoulders sagged. "I didn't want you to be worried about me messing up in the fight and get even _more_ mad at me."

He looked at the ground when they remained quiet, sighing again. He really had thought he'd done everything right - from getting their attention so they could come fight to knocking out one of the thugs all on his own - but Ace was still upset, and Sabo still had that worried look on his face.

He sensed more than saw when Ace jumped down from the rock and made his way over. His shoulders scrunched as he braced himself for a smack upside the head or for Ace to yell right in his face, only to blink and look up when he felt his hair being ruffled. His hat was still on the ground from when Sabo had taken it off of him before cleaning the blood off his face and hands.

Ace was scowling, but it didn't look nearly as severe as it usually did when Luffy was in trouble. "Idiot," he said again, messing up Luffy's hair now and jostling him a little. Luffy gave a mild protest to that, flailing a little, but it was better than being smacked. "I wasn't mad at you for yelling for us, or for helping us fight. Even if it was dumb luck, you did take one of them out."

Sabo looked like he wanted to say something, but a quick glance between himself and Ace had him smiling over at Luffy instead. "Besides, we got the materials we needed for our board and you got plenty of chalk. So there's no point in being mad about that anymore."

As those words sank in, Luffy felt himself grinning again, looking from Ace to Sabo, then back to Ace. He didn't quite get it, but he understood that they weren't mad at him anymore. His grin widened. "I was pretty cool, wasn't I?!" he asked in excitement.

Ace pushed on his head, making him yelp and stumble before regaining his balance. "Don't push your luck."

Laughing, Luffy picked his hat up off the ground and plopped it on his head. "Let's go get some food!"

"Oi," Sabo shook his head with a grin. "Is food all you ever think about?"

"Only when I'm hungry," Luffy answered. It made perfect sense to him.

Ace rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Stop squirming."

Luffy scowled, but he tried his best to do what Sabo told him. He'd managed to keep the bandage over the top half of his mouth while they'd hunted and eaten, but it had come off when Dadan had forced them to bathe again. He still felt soggy and grumpy, and the pain in his mouth was back.

"Sorry, Luffy," Sabo apologized at the sight of the scowl. "The cut's a little worse than I thought it was earlier, so I'm going to put more medicine and another bandage on you."

"Do I hafta?" Luffy complained. The bandage had itched and tingled all day, and the mystery medicine would get the taste of dinner out of his mouth.

"Yes," Ace answered without looking over. He was still drying his own hair. Dadan had taken their clothes to be washed, griping about the smell, so the boys were all wearing long shirts in the meantime. The shirts didn't really smell better to them, either.

"I know you don't like the taste," Sabo continued, picking up the cotton ball and bringing it up. The strong scent of cloves made Luffy wrinkle his nose. "But it'll help with the pain, and if you bear with it tonight, you won't need it tomorrow."

Luffy sighed again, but he stopped complaining. At least Sabo was the one doing it. Sabo didn't smack him or call him a crybaby whenever he got injured. He just didn't understand why he still hurt. Most of his injuries healed up pretty quickly, and he wasn't used to getting cut. Bitten, sure. Scrapes and bruises? All the time. When it came to fighting thugs and pirates, he was pretty good about not getting hit by their swords or knives. Punches were easier to block, and they didn't hurt. How had he gotten injured this time, again?

"Hey, Sabo?" He asked, causing the older boy to sigh and stop applying the clove-scented mystery medicine for a moment.

"Yes?"

"Why did this punch hurt again?" Luffy questioned.

"That guy was using really sharp brass knuckles," Sabo answered, eyes darkening a little. "It's like having small blades on his fist. It cut your gums and your lip. It's not bad enough to need stitches, but it's probably really sore, huh?"

Luffy nodded quickly to emphasize that yes, it was _very_ sore.

"Because you move your mouth to talk and eat, the cut can come open a lot easier than if it was your arm or something. That's why you have to keep a bandage on for now, okay?" Sabo brought the cotton ball up again.

"And the mystery medicine will help it heal faster, right?" Luffy pressed.

"Idiot," Ace muttered. "It's not mystery medicine. It's an anesthetic."

Sabo glanced at Ace with an annoyed look, then turned his attention back to Luffy. "An anesthetic helps numb the area so you don't feel as much pain," he explained. "I'm sorry about the taste, but it hurts less, right?"

"Tingles," Luffy confirmed. "I don't remember ever using this before."

"Well you've certainly never had it in your mouth," Sabo conceded. "But we've used it before. It's harder to get though, so we don't use it much. Anyway, talking and eating would have been way more painful for you without it. I'm going to put the bandage back on now, so try not to move."

Luffy obediently shut his mouth to wait while Sabo carefully put a fresh bandage over the top of his lip and under his nose. He immediately wrinkled his nose from the discomfort, but otherwise kept his mouth shut.

"There," Sabo's voice came out at last, and Luffy exhaled loudly.

A sudden touch to his head made him blink, and then everything started to shake as he felt a towel fluffing up his still damp hair.

"You didn't even finish drying your hair," Ace complained from behind him. "Are you trying to get sick now too?"

"But…!" Luffy flailed his arms, but there was no escaping. He could hear Sabo chuckling too. "That takes even more energy!"

"Oi," Ace griped. "If the water takes your energy away, having it on you makes it worse, right? We've gotta start using rain water or something if you're not going to handle yourself properly."

Luffy continued to try and escape, but Ace was a lot stronger and easily kept him in place until his hair was a fluffy mess atop his head and he was too dizzy to get up and seek revenge.

"Go to bed," Ace said, tossing the towel near the door. "We can't try to break for it tomorrow since Dadan has our clothes, but we may as well get all the extra sleep we can."

"Yeah," Sabo agreed. "We'll have to figure out how to get away after she gives them back."

Luffy flopped onto his sleeping mat with a groan, rolling onto his back. "My nose itches."

"Try and deal with it," Sabo told him, yawning. "Don't take your bandage off."

Luffy reached up to try and rub under his nose, but doing so made the bandage move. He sighed loudly.

"Just go to sleep," Ace complained. "Then you won't notice it itches."

"How can I sleep when it itches so much?" Luffy demanded, scowling.

"Think about something else," Ace said simply.

"Like what?" Luffy wrinkled his nose again.

"Like anything."

Luffy gave a much louder sigh at that response, then curled up under his blanket.

"Think about what kind of pirate crew you want," Sabo suggested.

That made Luffy pause, blinking owlishly up at the ceiling. He managed to grin without pulling the bandage off. "It has to have a musician."

"Geez," Ace muttered while Sabo just laughed softly.

Luffy closed his eyes, happily letting his thoughts wander. He started to think about how big he wanted his crew to be, what kind of jobs they'd need to have… he _needed_ a musician, and he didn't know how to cook very well so he'd need a cook too. What else did a pirate crew need? Shanks had a great sniper, so he needed one of those - oh and a first mate - and then a navigator so he didn't have to worry about finding adventures… he also needed really cool nakama, like maybe a robot or something. Where would he even find a robot? Well, he'd find one eventually. Hopefully.

He had just started to drift off, thinking about all of the awesome adventures he could have with a robot on his crew, when Sabo's hushed voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"You could have killed that guy earlier, you know."

 _Ace almost killed someone? Or does he mean me?_ Luffy wondered.

"I should have."

 _Oh, he means Ace. When did Ace almost kill someone?_

"I'm not necessarily arguing with you there… but you usually only act that way if it involves… that guy."

 _That guy? what guy?_

"Does it matter? He pissed me off."

"Next time, stop when he's down. Especially if Luffy's hurt."

"Tch."

 _Huh? Oh, when I got punched by sideburn-guy?_

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what they were talking about, but something stopped him. Did Sabo and Ace always talk after he fell asleep? That was unfair. He probably missed out on a lot that way.

"I'm serious, Ace. It was only a cut today, but if Luffy got hurt worse than that, you'd be wasting our time by needlessly continuing to attack."

"You didn't have to stay behind. You could have gotten Luffy somewhere if he was hurt."

"Ace…"

"Alright, alright. I get it," Ace's voice was tired. "I was just pissed off today and Luffy wasn't seriously hurt, okay? I'll be more _considerate_ next time. I saw the blood on his hands and thought it was worse than it was."

It was quiet for a few moments, causing Luffy to wonder if they'd finished talking. He heard Sabo shift from somewhere to the left.

"At least he shouted for us," Sabo chuckled softly. "He's getting better at listening to directions, at least."

"I can't believe he thought we were mad at him over that."

Luffy pouted, struggling to stop himself from speaking up. Why was it so hard to believe that he'd assumed they were upset with him for yelling? Ace had even scolded him for not yelling faster. They'd reassured him that they hadn't been mad at him, but he hadn't really figured out the reason. He'd simply accepted that they hadn't actually been angry, which had cheered him up.

"He doesn't understand the idea that we were mad for his sake. We never acted like that before. You used to act indifferent if he got hit during a fight, or blame him for it."

"Yeah, well… no one should be hitting Luffy but us," Ace muttered.

Luffy quickly shut his eyes, suddenly worried they'd notice him awake. He tried to keep his breathing even too, but the warm feeling in his chest had his heart beating a little quicker than normal. That's what they'd meant earlier? Like when Shanks had threatened that stupid bandit who'd been hurting him? Usually when Ace was mad at him, it was because he thought Luffy was doing something dumb, or not doing something the right way. That was why he'd easily assumed Ace was just angry with him for messing up again… Ace and Sabo were both still better at fighting, and they probably wouldn't have gotten hit like he had.

To hear that it wasn't about his ability to fight, that it had _everything_ to do with the idea of someone else hurting him… Luffy hadn't thought about it that way before. He'd always just assumed they'd be angry with him for not being able to stop himself from getting hurt, not getting angry at whoever was responsible for hurting him.

"Right," Sabo agreed, snapping Luffy out of his thoughts again. "And next time someone hurts our little brother, let me have a go at him, will you?"

"Right, sorry about that. Night, Sabo."

"Goodnight, Ace."

Luffy forgot all about his super robot crew. Sabo and Ace… they really thought of it that way? They wanted to protect him? Because he was their little brother? That was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with, and the only one that made perfect sense to him. After all, he didn't like the idea of anyone hurting his big brothers, either.

He really hadn't known much about what brothers were supposed to be like. He'd assumed they were like having really close nakama. In a short time, he'd figured out he was able to hug both of his brothers - something he planned to do first thing in the morning since he'd been so caught up with his annoying bandage and mystery medicine that he'd forgotten to do it that night - and he never felt alone, even when they weren't in his sight.

Now, on top of that, hearing what had really angered them that afternoon… his big brothers made him feel _safe._

It wasn't like he typically felt like he wasn't safe or anything, but growing up with his grandfather and all of the training, followed by his initial lifestyle at Dadan's… safety and security were never guaranteed. He hadn't expected to feel protected.

While the feeling was undeniably welcome, he didn't _want_ them to have to worry about protecting him either. Still… the thought that they got angry at anyone who hurt him made him feel the same warmth he'd felt when he realized he'd never be alone again.

At the same time, it made him want to get stronger. He'd be stronger so they didn't have to worry about him, and then if anyone ever tried to hurt one of _his_ big brothers, he'd be able to protect them too. He wanted them to feel just as safe, just as happy as he did. He wouldn't tell them he'd overheard them, either. For whatever reason, they hadn't talked about it in front of him, so he wouldn't let them know. Maybe it was just a big brother thing, and their late night mystery talks were something he'd get to be a part of when he got older.

Feeling satisfied and even happier than he'd felt the night before, Luffy finally started to drift off to sleep. He didn't even remember how much his nose itched or how much his bandage annoyed him. He was too happy thinking about his family.

Big brothers really _were_ nice to have.

* * *

 **A/N: Luffy slays me. Tiny Luffy absolutely slays me. And drives me a little insane. But I adore him so much. Thanks for reading! Please lemme know what you think. I don't bite :)**


	4. Makino

**A/N: Teehee :3 Thank you everyone for the reviews/faves/follows! I was a flailing mess for a while. I'm going through a rough patch right now in real life, so it was really great to get such positive feedback.**

 **Super special thanks to Beyond Kailani for stepping in as beta while Ascaisil is somewhere over yonder and unable to help correct my stupidity xD (please forgive my silly American spellings!)**

 **And if you haven't read "Same Difference" (or for that matter, any of her fics), go do it! *flail* They're awesomesauce.**

 **As always, dedicated to Ascaisil (I miss you like crazy! You're my sun, moon, and stars LOL)**

 **I took from both the manga and the anime, inspiration-wise here. Some of the dialogue was pulled from the anime, but I tried not to use too much :)**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **Kyoudai = Brother (can be used collectively to refer to siblings, but is more commonly used for brothers)**

 **Otouto = Younger Brother**

 **Niichan = Older Brother**

 **Sumimasen = Excuse me/Pardon me**

 **(I pepper the story with Japanese words and phrases, so I try to translate them all just in case. Sorry if I miss any!)**

* * *

 _Chapter 4: Makino_

* * *

The path up the mountain was harsh, though not as dangerous as rumors would have the common man believing. The beasts from the forest tended to ignore this particular path, though the cause was unknown. Personally, Makino thought it had to do with one too many run-ins with Garp. Even the fiercest of creatures would remember that man's presence - and steer clear of it. The path may have been safe, but the mountain itself… and the house she'd heard Luffy was living in, with the bandits? Was it truly safe?

 _Luffy,_ she thought, her expression sad. _Have you felt lonely? I'm so sorry it took us so long to visit._

She adjusted the basket on her arm, though that didn't help much with the weight, or how long she'd been carrying it. She was glad she wore comfortable shoes for walking. It had been a while since she'd gone on a trek like this, but she just couldn't wait any longer for Luffy to make his own way back to the village. She missed him, and she worried for him.

Beside her, the mayor gave an exasperated huff. There were men half his age and in better shape who wouldn't be making this trip willingly. He may have claimed Luffy was a nuisance on a good day, but even on a bad day, he worried for the boy.

"Bandits," Woop Slap muttered, looking annoyed. "What could Garp be thinking?! Bandits!"

"I'm sure they're not all bad," Makino placated him as best as she could. "After all, his methods may be… harsh, but Garp loves his grandson."

"Bandits!" he repeated in a louder voice. "That's no better than pirates!"

Makino chuckled, shaking her head. While his offended tone indicated no love for either type of criminal, she knew him well enough to know he didn't actually discriminate based on titles. He was simply trying to uphold a standard.

After all, as much as he'd complained, Makino knew Woop Slap had respected the red-haired Captain and his crew, even if he disapproved of pirates.

" _It's strange, you know? I guess I should be used to strange, but I didn't expect to meet someone like that here. Much less a kid." The speaker chuckled with dry humor, almost as if seeing something ironic or maybe even annoying about the situation._

" _Is he that strange of a child?" Her own voice was simply curious, as she was always listening to the stories and opinions of those who came to the bar._

" _Something like that. You know, the Captain… he's different here. Around the kid."_

The conversation trailed off in her head, a reminiscent smile playing on her lips as she thought of the pirate she'd been conversing with.

"As long as he's happy, Mayor," Makino said, looking up the path with a hopeful expression.

He gave a noncommittal response that sounded more like a grunt, walking alongside her until the clearing finally came into view. It was a rather large house, but there was no real sign that a child was staying there. Makino had stacks of childish drawings in her home, and anywhere Luffy went, he seemed to turn it into his next adventure or his own personal playground. That such things were absent had her a little anxious.

Even the bar still held evidence of Luffy's time there, whether it was the doodles he'd etched into the bar stools at a younger age, or the stain on the ceiling from a very comical food mishap after he'd eaten his devil fruit.

Makino's gaze landed on a small group near the trees. The woman was large and worked up, her bright orange hair braided back into a large bundle of frizz.

"Shut it!" she slammed her fist into the ground, which had Makino pausing. Woop Slap kept moving forward. "I just can't look after them anymore! Let's drive 'em out!"

The other two bandits with her didn't exactly seem alarmed by her outburst, but it was clear they were trying to calm her.

"Who cares about our promise with Garp?!" the woman demanded.

Makino bit her lip. Was it Luffy she was talking about driving out? Sure the boy could be… a handful, but he was so _worth_ it…

"Oi!" Woop Slap finally moved forward to get the bandit's attention, and Makino watched with curious eyes as the woman utterly froze.

In the next moment, she'd whirled around and practically thrown herself to the ground, groveling. "Forgive me! I wasn't thinking clearly!"

Makino couldn't help but smile a little. So she was afraid of Garp, then? Well, that more or less guaranteed that she was all talk and no bite when it came to the idea of throwing Luffy out. Not that she really thought anyone capable of such a thing. Luffy had a way of finding even the tiniest of cracks in the most jaded of hearts and worming his way inside. No one ever liked letting go of that feeling, even if they tried to deny it.

"Sumimasen," Makino said politely, deciding to rescue the woman from the misunderstanding that Garp had shown up. "We heard that Luffy is staying here…"

The woman raised her head, blinking at them like she hadn't understood. Makino could tell right away that they weren't at all what she'd been expecting, but before she could politely introduce herself, she heard the joyful voice she'd been longing to hear.

"Makino!"

She whirled around just in time to catch him, laughing his name as he wound his arms around her waist in an affectionate hug. The smile on his face set all her worries at ease instantly. He was happy where he was - happier than she'd ever seen him, in fact. There was a light in his eyes that hadn't quite been there before, and his smile was even bigger than the last time she'd seen it. Aside from the fact that he only wore an oversized shirt that clearly wasn't meant for a child - definitely not one his size, either - he seemed to be perfectly fine.

"You look like you're doing well!" Woop Slap proclaimed, his own face lifted in a grin at the sight of the chipper young rubberman. "It's been six months, so we got worried and decided to see how you were doing."

Luffy turned his bright gaze to him, though he still kept his hold on Makino. "Oh! Mayor!"

Makino laughed again, then brought a finger to her lips and winked. "Don't tell Garp-san about this," she told Luffy, to which he nodded brightly. It wasn't that Makino worried about Garp finding out they'd visited or anything, but it would still be better for Luffy if he didn't advertise it. Garp would probably think they were spoiling the boy, and try to increase the difficulty of his 'training'.

"Okay," Luffy chirped. "Dadan says that all the time anyway."

Makino looked amused. She assumed Dadan was in fact the infamous leader of the bandits and the woman behind her, who was now arguing with Woop Slap. The way Luffy said her name indicated he held no dislike for her, which was reassuring. She clasped her hands together and smiled down at him. "Ne, I have a present for you."

"Eh? A present?" Luffy perked up, even stretching his legs a little to stand taller, as if that would help him get his present faster.

Makino laughed before she could help herself, charmed by his antics as always. "I doubt Garp-san thought about this," she said, kneeling down so she could open the basket she'd been carrying. Luffy had to step back, eyes immediately going to the basket to study what was inside of it. As she started to bring out a shirt, she caught sight of movement near the door to the house.

Two boys, both older than Luffy, were cautiously watching her. Like Luffy, they only wore oversized and somewhat tattered shirts. Her smile never wavered. So Luffy had boys near his age he could play with?

She turned her gaze back to Luffy, bringing a shirt out of the basket and unfolding it. "Ta-da! New clothes," she told him, holding it up. It was a simple t-shirt with a star on it, but Luffy's face lit up.

"Yay! New clothes!" Luffy cheered, throwing both hands up into the air. His straw hat bounced from the motion.

Makino held the shirt up near Luffy to make sure it was the correct size, eyes darting back to the boys in the doorway. One seemed pretty hostile, while the other was regarding her with curiosity… and something else. Both boys had an emotion in their eyes that she couldn't quite pinpoint, and it was directed at her.

"I can adjust the size, too," she said, loud enough for them to hear with a tone as inviting as she could make it. "So, come over here."

Both boys jumped, which had Luffy turning to wave at them cheerfully. "Ace! Sabo! C'mere!"

Makino watched with curious fascination as the dark-haired boy with the freckles scoffed and looked to his companion, only for the blonde boy to take a hesitant step forward. The blonde boy gave a sheepish smile, showing a missing tooth, but whether he'd gotten over his shyness or he was coming because Luffy had called him over, she wasn't sure.

"You too," Makino said to the now-scowling boy, who was surely feeling abandoned since he was the only one who had opted to remain in the doorway.

He remained where he was, but Makino trusted he'd make his way over eventually as she pulled out a new shirt.

"Makino," Luffy waved his arms to get her attention. "This is Sabo! He's my niichan!"

Sabo reached up like he might have been accustomed to wearing a hat to tip, but he quickly lowered his hand and smiled, flustered. "Pleased to meet you," he said politely.

Makino barely had time to register Luffy's introduction before the other boy finally came over, arms crossed over his chest and gaze averted. He stood on Luffy's other side.

"And this is Ace!" Luffy continued. "My other niichan!"

"Sabo and Ace?" Makino asked, when Ace simply grunted in response to the introduction. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Makino." Her eyes went to Luffy again. "Your big brothers?"

"Uh-huh!" Luffy's smile was bright enough to make Ace stop scowling, though he still looked unsure about the whole situation. "We drank sake together and swore to be brothers! Our bond can't be broken, Makino. Ever!"

Makino felt warmth pool in her chest, like her heart had melted, and an even warmer smile of understanding touched her lips. "I see. Well, I'm incredibly glad to hear that. I was worried you might have been all alone."

"I'm never alone, now," Luffy told her earnestly. Then, before either blushing boy - because despite Ace's aloof exterior, he'd obviously been pleased to hear Luffy's words - could react, Luffy's arms stretched and wound around them both. He yanked them both into a hug, which had Sabo laughing and Ace struggling.

"Oi, Luffy, knock it off!" Ace complained, tugging at the rubbery limb keeping him trapped.

"He's not hurting anything," Sabo chuckled, reaching up to knock Luffy's hat off so it hung by the string. He tousled Luffy's hair as soon as it was exposed, causing Luffy to giggle.

"Makino always watched me back in Windmill Village," Luffy explained, finally complying with Ace's protests and unwrapping his elongated limbs. Even though he'd stopped squeezing them, he still turned and wrapped his arms around Sabo, beaming up at Makino. He didn't even seem aware that Dadan and Woop Slap were arguing with each other again. "She owns the bar where Shanks and the others always came to party!"

Makino smiled again, thinking back to those days with a fond smile. She didn't let herself dwell much on the memory of the red-haired captain, instead directing her attention to Sabo, since he was looking up at her.

"Thank you very much," Sabo said politely. He'd done nothing to jostle Luffy or make him let go. "For taking care of our little brother."

 _My goodness!_ It was difficult to contain the urge to scoop all three of the precious little boys into a hug, but she managed it. Instead, she gave him an absolutely fond smile, giggling softly. "Oh, it was no problem. Luffy can be a handful, but he's a delight to have around. And thank _you_ very much as well. I'm glad Luffy has brothers like you to look up to and keep him from feeling lonely."

Ace twitched ever so slightly at her statement, but from the way he relaxed a little and stole a glance at Luffy, Makino was glad she'd made sure to pluralize the word. Some adults didn't bother to think about how their words could be perceived by the innocent interpretations of a child, and whether or not Ace was part of the conversation, praising Sabo alone while he was present would no doubt have a negative impact on his emotions. Besides which, it didn't take much for Makino to see that for all his abrasive protests, he was almost entirely focused on Luffy. It was also strikingly obvious to her from the way the older boys interacted with Luffy that they were just as grateful to have Luffy in their lives as he was to have them in his.

It was a special bond. Of that, Makino had no doubt.

"Now then," Makino said, taking one of the shirts out of the basket. "You could all use some new clothes, ne?"

"Yeah!" Luffy piped up, letting go of Sabo so he could flail his arms. "We'd be out hunting for lunch right now if our clothes were clean, but Dadan wouldn't let us have them back yet."

"We only have one set of clothes each," Sabo clarified.

"Well that just won't do," Makino said. "It's a good thing I brought plenty of extra. I also picked some bigger shirts in case Luffy had grown…"

"I have!" Luffy claimed.

"He hasn't. He's still tiny," Ace couldn't seem to resist teasing.

"Shut up!" Luffy glared - although it looked more like an offended pout in Makino's opinion - up at Ace. "I've gotten taller!"

"Stretching your legs to make yourself seem taller doesn't count, _idiot,"_ Ace said, reaching out to flick his forehead.

Luffy yelped, stumbling and pinwheeling from the force of the flick combined with his legs recoiling back into shape to take away the extra inch of height he'd tried to give himself. Sabo burst out laughing, holding his stomach and doubling over as Luffy tried to get back up. Ace had an adorable smirk on his freckled face, and it was then that Makino realized what both boys had been conveying when they'd watched in silence earlier.

She wasn't sure if they were aware of it or not, but it was glaringly obvious to her now… they had been jealous. Her visit must have been the first time Luffy had focused so intently on someone other than them, and they hadn't known how to react to it. They wanted Luffy to pay attention to them, look to them for guidance, or even just argue with them rather than shower someone else with the affection they openly craved. It made perfect sense to her, too. The Luffy they'd both met for the first time hadn't had anyone else to rely or lean on. He probably hadn't wanted anything to do with the bandits, even if they were completely different from Higuma and the ones who had tried to hurt Luffy before. They'd never known Luffy as the cheerful center of attention in Windmill Village.

They didn't want to _share_ him, and it was one of the cutest things Makino had ever witnessed.

Humming lightly to herself, Makino straightened Sabo up so she could measure the shirt against his still shaking chest. He was trying very hard not to laugh and make her job harder, but she didn't mind it. Laughing suited him far more than the uncertainty from before had.

She dared a glance to his face once he finally composed himself, and at the curious, friendly look in his eyes, she smiled directly at him. He immediately blushed and gave a sheepish grin in response.

Once she'd finished getting the measurements she needed - Luffy's shirts were all the correct size, so she didn't need to measure him at all - she looked to Ace.

"Ace, you're next," she said warmly, watching Sabo join Luffy in the grass. The younger boy had spotted a dragonfly and was watching it like he might try to catch it.

"Not necessary," Ace said, trying to look nonchalant and failing, but only because Makino could see the uncertain curiosity flickering in his guarded gray eyes.

"It might not be necessary, but it's more convenient, ne?" Makino tried. "Besides, your brothers are getting new clothes, so you should have some as well."

She leaned in a little, lowering her voice with a wink. "And you wouldn't get stuck in the house all day because your only clothes are being washed."

Ace frowned, glancing to the house, then back to Luffy. Makino was positive he was thinking of Luffy's usual response to being cooped up. Disappointment, boredom, and of course, his famous pouting. Even if he didn't want clothes for some reason, it seemed she'd been correct in assuming he'd comply on the grounds that it wasn't really for him. That he was doing it to make things less difficult for his brothers.

"Fine," he sighed, stepping closer and holding his arms out the way Sabo had. He might not have been listening to the instructions, but he'd clearly seen enough to know what Makino needed him to do without her having to ask.

Makino continued smiling at him. She really couldn't help it. It wasn't like she had a particular soft spot for children in general. Truthfully, most tended to be loud, and she'd seen her fair share of spoiled kids who hadn't quite learned how to treat others yet. Luffy had always been special, even though he had also always been precocious and rash. He'd had an innate ability to draw people towards him, and that had only seemed to intensify once the Captain had come into his life.

Knowing Luffy the way she did, seeing the effect he had on people, it was easy to tell that these two boys' lives had been drastically altered by his presence. Without knowing much else about either of them, she couldn't pinpoint for sure why that was, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was for the better.

She could hear Luffy and Sabo snickering now, and she guessed it had to do with the healthy blush spreading across Ace's freckled cheeks. She didn't have to turn to look to know that they were probably pointing at him. Luffy had absolutely no tact, after all, and wouldn't hesitate to point something like that out.

"He's so embarrassed," Sabo's voice was hushed, but not enough that they wouldn't hear it.

"His cheeks are all red!" Luffy giggled in response, before growing louder. "Hey Ace, your cheeks are all red!"

"Shut up!" Ace snapped, starting to rise to the bait. He brought his fist up like he might go smack them both on the head, but Makino interrupted before he could.

"Don't move," she said sternly, looking at him as she held the sleeves of the shirt out.

Ace opened his mouth like he might protest, before settling on a surly expression that promised retaliation for his brothers. He glared over her shoulder at them. "I'll get you both for this later."

Luffy laughed even louder, and this time Sabo's laughter joined his in volume. When Makino finally finished with Ace, the boys had stopped rolling and were quickly scrambling to their feet to try and get away. Ace proved to be faster though, lunging and bringing his fist down on Sabo's head, then tackling Luffy to get him too.

Makino giggled softly, moving to sit down and bringing out her needle and thread to adjust the clothing for them. It was refreshing to watch the boys have a bit of carefree fun. Something about Ace's guarded expressions told her he wasn't the type to be carefree, and there was a reserved quality about Sabo that told her he had likely been deprived of something as simple as 'fun'.

She looked up when she noticed the lead bandit, Dadan, had come to sit beside her. The woman was smoking with that perpetual scowl on her face, looking anywhere but the trio of boys roughhousing in the yard.

"So," Dadan said after a moment of silence. "You're the one who owns that bar in Windmill, aren't you?"

"Yes," Makino answered. "You must be a friend of Garp-san's, right?"

"Friend? HAH!" Dadan snorted, nearly inhaling her cigarette. "More like victim! That crazy old bastard blackmailed me into taking care of his brats, and then they multiplied all on their own!"

"That certainly sounds like an interesting story," Makino pressed, wanting to know more about Luffy's new brothers.

"Tch," Dadan scoffed at that. "Not really. Ace has always been a pain in the ass. I didn't expect him to get worse when Luffy was dropped off here. While back, they messed with some pirates and dragged that Sabo kid home with them. Now they're all taking over my house and driving me crazy."

Makino studied Dadan at that statement, only to smile and look back to her sewing. "It's great that you're taking care of them."

Dadan grumbled again, not really answering. Woop Slap was currently scolding the other bandits, who seemed completely uncertain of how to deal with their visitor. Makino doubted they had visitors often.

The orange-haired bandit took a long drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke to the side, which Makino appreciated. "You're reading too much into things."

"Am I?" Makino wondered, chuckling softly. "I guess I can't help it. It's part of my job, you know."

"Like I've never gotten drunk and spilled stories to a bartender before," Dadan snorted, looking wistful for a moment.

"I hear all sorts of fascinating stories, outrageous lies, or even the most heartbreaking tales," Makino replied. "I've been around the bar long enough to start reading people before they even order. I guess I like to try understanding why they are the way they are… what kind of person they might be."

"So you're worried about the brats," Dadan said it as a statement rather than a question.

"No," Makino shook her head with another fond smile. " Not anymore. They're protected here, and they have each other for emotional support. Luffy never liked being alone, so I thought maybe he'd be having a tough time here, but when I saw him with his brothers, I knew I didn't have to worry anymore. And those boys… they need him just as much."

Dadan snorted lightly, but she clearly didn't disagree.

"That boy's a noble's son," Dadan muttered finally, glancing at Makino. "A runaway. They didn't tell me as much, but it's obvious."

"I'd wondered," Makino set the shirt down and began working on a pair of shorts. Sabo's manners and the way he presented himself spoke of a wealthy or privileged upbringing. "And Ace?"

"Has a lot of anger in his heart," Dadan glanced up at the sky, not willing to elaborate. "Took him months to let Luffy near him."

Makino didn't ask anything else, just sitting in comfortable silence with Dadan while she finished her work. It looked as though Ace had finally deemed his brothers 'punished enough', and was back to studying Makino. She didn't look up or alert him to the fact that she was aware of it, though.

"Hey, Makino!" Luffy's voice had her lifting her head, just barely catching a glimpse of Ace quickly turning away.

"Yes, Luffy?" Makino asked.

"Look, I learned how to do something really cool!" Luffy told her, winding up his arm like he was trying to loosen it.

"Idiot," Ace quickly grabbed him by the shoulders. "Don't try to show them, you'll end up hitting one of them."

"Ace is right," Sabo spoke up before Luffy could start protesting. "Your aim still needs work."

"I'm not gonna show them my Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy protested, flailing both arms and whirling around to face Makino again. "Promise!"

The older boys exchanged a look, like they were uncertain if they should let Luffy have his way, but in the end they both shrugged with a 'what can you do?' expression and decided to see how things played out. They were both ready to intervene if needed, which was obvious in the shifting of their stances.

"Tch, since when do you brats care where you aim your carnage?" Dadan grumbled.

"Well, you're used to it," Sabo said simply. "But Makino-san probably wouldn't want to get hit."

"Who wants to get hit?!" Dadan was pushing herself up and scrambling away from the tree at those words. "You dumbass!"

"Besides, you're a stupid bandit," Ace added. "Makino looks more like a lady."

"Ace is right," Luffy decided. "Dadan kinda looks like a man."

"You little shits!" Dadan growled, fuming and looking like she might head over and smack them all upside the head.

Makino couldn't help but laugh at their interactions, before looking to Luffy with a warm smile. "Well, what did you want to show me?"

Luffy perked up at her willingness to watch, then drew his arm back, before letting it shoot forward and stretch. He reached, just barely grasping the branch of the tree behind Makino, then grinned. He let his other arm extend to join the first. "This is my Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" he told her, excitement all over his face.

"Wait…" Sabo frowned, looking to the tree branch, then Luffy. "Your rocket? What are you-"

"You moron!" Ace's shout was accompanied by a sudden lunge to grab Luffy in an attempt to try and stop him from following through with his demonstration. It was quickly followed by a rather uncharacteristic and startled yelp as Luffy's arms abruptly started to snap back into place, flinging both boys into the air. Makino gasped, hand going to her mouth as the boys sailed overhead, Luffy giggling and Ace shouting angrily, and then both boys were gone, crashing into the forest somewhere.

"Ah…" Sabo blushed again, then laughed nervously. He dashed over. "Sorry about that. I'll go get them."

He gave a polite little bow, then rushed past.

"Do you see what I put up with? Do you see?!" Dadan stomped one foot, turning to scowl murderously at the mayor, who was chuckling and muttering at her under his breath.

Makino watched Sabo run off before doubling over with laughter, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Even when she'd thought she'd had them all figured out, they found a way to surprise her. She'd thought Sabo would have been the one to realize Luffy had been about to do something reckless, but Ace had reacted first.

"What's so funny?" Dogra was the one who finally spoke up, edging away from Woop Slap to address Makino.

"Just," Makino giggled, finally stopping to catch her breath. "Those three act like they've been raised together as brothers since the day they were born," she explained. "It makes me happy."

Magra's expression softened, but he was the only one of the bandits to show his emotions openly on his sleeve about the three boys. Dogra merely gave a sheepish and mumbled answer that told Makino he thought it was a good thing, but he'd never voice the opinion out loud or in front of Dadan.

"Ne, I finished their clothes, but if it's alright, I'd like to stay and spend some more time with them," Makino wiped the traces of tears away from her eyes, smiling again. "In return, I'll cook dinner for everyone tonight."

"Eh, suit yourself," Dadan shrugged. "Anything to keep the brats out of my hair as much as possible."

"If we're staying longer, I'd better go find the rest of these rowdy upstarts and give them a good talking to," Woop Slap decided, frowning at the house. He never passed up a chance to lecture those on the wrong side of the law, whether or not they cared or listened.

The sound of laughter, shouted insults, and someone being hit on the head signalled the boys returning. Makino had laid their clothing out, and she barely managed to stop herself from laughing out loud again when she saw Luffy's face.

He was pouting, cheeks puffed out abnormally far, and the oversized shirt he was wearing had tears and grass stains all over it. Ace had twigs in his hair, an exasperated scowl on his face and his hands balled into fists. Sabo was the least disheveled, but he still looked annoyed, walking between the two.

When Luffy looked up and saw Makino's gaze, his pout dropped and he was beaming again, rushing over.

"Did you see? Did you see?" he asked in excitement.

"I did," Makino confirmed, eyes dancing at his enthusiasm. "But you need to be careful when you do that. If you're a rocket, you have to be aiming for something, right?"

"That's what I told him!" Ace practically shouted.

"Oh," Luffy frowned lightly. "But I wasn't fighting. I just wanted to show you my rocket."

"It's very impressive," Makino said, looking to placate him so he'd listen to the rest of her advice. It worked like a charm, but that only seemed to annoy Ace more. "But even for a demonstration, if you don't have a target, you'll just go flying, and you mind wind up in a dangerous situation."

"Oh," Luffy realized. "I didn't think of it that way."

Ace raised a fist to bring it down on Luffy's head again.

"But, it'll be okay, Makino," Luffy said brightly. "You don't have to worry about me. My brothers are here! So even if I get in a dangerous situation, I'll be fine!"

Ace's eyes widened, but his hand was already coming down to strike the rubber boy. Luckily, Sabo reacted quickly and grabbed Ace's arm, yanking so Ace struck air and stumbled behind Luffy, the two of them nearly toppling over.

Luffy turned at the sound, seeing his brothers trying to steady themselves and looking flustered, then twisted back around to look at Makino. "They're kind of weird," he explained with a cute smile. "But they're the best!"

"I can see that," Makino reached for Luffy and pulled him into another hug, eyes shining. She winked at the older boys when they looked over, letting them know she wouldn't tell Luffy what she'd just seen. He was hugging her back and beaming, pleased that she'd agreed with his assessment of his brothers.

Ace quickly crossed his arms over his chest and turned away to hide his expression, though Sabo gave another sheepish smile at her, blush coming back to dust over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. The blonde brought one hand up to rub the back of his neck, openly - albeit shyly - accepting the praise.

"Okay," Makino said, releasing Luffy after a moment. "Let's get your new clothes on you so we can see how they fit. I'm going to stay a while longer tonight, and then cook dinner."

"Yay!" Luffy threw both hands into the air, cheering. It made his straw hat bounce on his back. "Makino's cooking is the best!"

He turned to face his brothers, waving his hands above his head. "Ace, Sabo, you have to try Makino's cooking! It's really, really good!"

Makino could only watch, a fond smile on her lips and her cheeks aching from just how much she'd started smiling since seeing Luffy again, as both older boys reacted to Luffy's attention. Even when Ace was trying to pretend he wasn't completely taken with his little brother's charm, or when Sabo played the dutiful older brother and listened with patience, it was clear Luffy loved both of them equally, individually, and for everything that made them who they were.

It was just as obvious to her that Luffy's unconditional acceptance of his brothers was the exact reason they needed him so much.

" _The Captain is different when he's around?"_

" _You probably wouldn't be able to tell unless you knew what to look for," Benn Beckman's voice was gruff but affectionate, his eyes never straying from the red-haired captain at the bar, or the dark-haired boy currently arguing with him. "It's not just the captain though. It's the whole crew."_

 _Makino glanced to the bar as well, hand brushing the table Benn was sitting at. Shanks was laughing boisterously at something Luffy had claimed, and the soon-to-be seven year old was loudly protesting that laughter._

" _Luffy has always been like that," Makino spoke up, eyes going back to Benn. "I worry sometimes that he'll give his love and trust to people who won't appreciate it… people who might take advantage of it."_

" _I wouldn't worry about that," Benn waved a hand dismissively at her concern. "People like that kid - like the captain - they have a way of making even the unworthiest lowlife worth the faith they can put in them. That kid'll be fine."_

 _Makino smiled at the description, nodding lightly to herself and turning to bring drinks to the next table. She hoped Benn was right._

It wasn't just the red-haired Captain, his crew, or the villagers. Watching Ace and Sabo, wondering what darkness had held them back in the past… it seemed _everyone_ Luffy put his faith in, as Benn had said, was worth that faith. Or they _became_ someone worthy of it, simply because they needed it so much. Luffy changed people - _saved_ some of them - and he didn't even realize he was doing it.

She'd hoped Benn was right before, that day in the tavern when he'd voiced his observations… now she knew he was, and that warmed her more than anything.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! I appreciate all reviews/suggestions :) Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the weekly updates. And hopefully I'll have another epic being posted soon! Depends on how much writing I can get in.**


	5. Idiot

**A/N: AHHHH DID EVERYONE SEE THE NEWS FOR THE NEW ONE PIECE SPECIAL COMING OUT ON AUGUST 22nd?! *choke stumble cough unintelligible-whimpering***

 **Anyway, thank you so much to all the reviewers and the new faves/follows!**

 **To address the guest reviewer:** I try to keep the random Japanese phrases to a minimum, although it's purely an aesthetic choice for me when I do put them in. Words like 'kyoudai', 'otouto', and 'niichan' also have perfectly good counterparts, but I just prefer the Japanese versions in those cases. Hopefully the few instances where I do use Japanese won't be too bothersome :)

 **Super special thanks to Beyond Kailani for filling in as beta again. Everyone should be glad she fixed this mess before it got posted, oh my god xD (As always, go read her stuff if you haven't already!)**

 **Hopefully going to be posting some of my epic stories soon.** Tiny bit of info about what they'll be on my profile, but nothing yet since I want to make sure I know where I'm going with them before I start posting.

 **Also, is everyone okay with the length of these chapters? Trying to stay under 7k, but they're ranging from 4-6ishk, and I wanted to make sure that wasn't too long. I had to forcibly end this chapter before it doubled in size lol**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil.**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 5: Idiot_

* * *

"You moron!"

Sabo only had a brief moment to register what Ace was doing before his dark-haired brothers were both being flung through the air, one laughing and the other shouting. Really, he should have seen it coming, but he'd allowed himself to get distracted by Makino's presence. They likely hadn't flown _too_ far, but chances were he should probably go get them before Ace unleashed his famous temper. While a gentle scolding was probably in order, it wasn't like Luffy had done that on _purpose,_ after all. He was just excited to see a friendly face and show off how much stronger he'd gotten.

"Ah…" It was that moment that Sabo remembered they had a rather large audience, and he felt his cheeks heating up. He gave a shaky laugh that probably betrayed how nervous he felt around Makino before rushing over to her. "Sorry about that. I'll go get them," he promised. After all, he didn't want Makino to be concerned, or worry about their capabilities as big brothers.

Then, recalling the manners he'd been taught around adults in High Town, he bowed to her before he left. He could hear Dadan ranting behind him, but he paid her words no attention. She could complain all she wanted, but he was willing to bet his hat that Makino saw through her just as easily as he did. Still, the sound of Dadan's indignant ranting could drown out the telltale sound of a crash he was listening for, so he put on an extra boost of speed in the general direction his brothers had gone flying.

It didn't take long - Luffy hadn't used _that_ much force, thankfully - before he heard the crash. Almost immediately after, Ace's shout of "you dumbass!" echoed through the trees.

"Ow!" Luffy's yelp came next, making Sabo shake his head. He reached the crash site before Ace could take another swing at the sullen boy, surveying the scene. There was a small crater where they'd landed, though really nothing they weren't already used to. They made a bigger mess when training most of the time anyway. Luffy sat in the center of the crater with his hands over his head, pouting up at Ace. The freckled boy was glaring and cursing up a storm, but even at the distance, Sabo could tell he wasn't _actually_ mad. Daresay, he was probably more embarrassed for the way he'd gotten launched alongside Luffy, and worried about Luffy's tendency to act so recklessly without even considering the consequences. It would be just like Luffy to practice his rocket and fling himself into the middle a river, after all.

"You two didn't really go _that_ far," Sabo offered, trying to be helpful as he made his way over. "And I think Makino-san was laughing. That's good, right?"

"He shouldn't be using that stupid rocket if he's got nothing to aim at," Ace griped. They both knew Sabo agreed, but he didn't immediately take Ace's side, which Ace would no doubt chalk up to Sabo being 'too soft' on him again.

"But I was just showing Makino!" Luffy protested, redirecting Ace's full attention to him again.

"That doesn't matter! You need to be able to aim for something or you could get yourself hurt!" Ace managed to refrain from actually hitting him this time, although he was still scowling.

"I don't need to aim if I'm not fighting," Luffy decided, hopping up to his feet. "I won't get hurt!"

Ace shot Sabo a look that clearly read 'do something', but Sabo just shrugged and came over to dust Luffy off. The grass stains all over the shirt would probably get them in trouble with Dadan, but it wasn't like they'd ever cared about that. He was pleased to see that even though the shirt had torn in several places - likely from flying through the trees and getting snagged by branches - Luffy didn't have a single cut on him.

He turned his head to study Ace, who forgot about being annoyed and merely shrugged his shoulders like Sabo didn't need to fuss over him. He was a little more scraped up than Luffy, but the worst of it seemed to be the twigs tangled in his unruly black hair. At least Luffy could hide something like that with his hat.

Ace really needed a hat.

Luffy swatted at Sabo's hands when the older boy started working on his hair, brushing the dirt out of it. "Sabo," he whined. "Let's go rocket back!"

"Luffy!" Ace's frustration bubbled right back over, and before Sabo could intervene, the other boy had grabbed Luffy's shoulders and started throttling him. "Didn't you hear a word I just said?!"

"Ace!" Sabo stumbled, then tried to grab onto Ace's arm. "Is that really helping right now?"

"WAH!" Luffy tried to flail free of Ace's grip, only succeeding in pulling Ace backwards with him and knocking into Sabo, since the blond had gotten in between them. The three went down in a giant heap, dust kicking up and making them all cough.

"Honestly, you two," Sabo sighed, picking himself up. "We have company over. Quit squabbling."

"Squabbling?" Luffy echoed, readily forgetting Ace's brief assault and pulling himself up by latching onto Sabo with a slightly extended grip and letting his arm retract.

"Arguing," Ace muttered, dusting himself off as well. "Sabo's trying to act mature."

"Someone has to," Sabo retorted. "Anyway, Makino-san probably can't visit very often, right? We should go back so you can spend time with her before she leaves."

"Ah!" Luffy grabbed his face in realization, hands on his cheeks. "You're right! Come on, we'd better hurry back!"

"It's like talking to a three year old," Ace complained.

Sabo refrained from commenting on that one, herding his brothers back in the direction of Dadan's house. More than once, he wound up having to come between them - literally, walking in between the pair - as the two bickered, which led to Ace's mood souring even more. Even Luffy was pouting, looking extremely put out by how annoyed Ace was. He just couldn't seem to grasp that Ace was scolding him for his own good. Sabo would have to figure out a way to get that point across later, for all their sanity's sakes.

When they reached the clearing again, Sabo saw Makino smiling at them, and all at once Luffy forgot about being upset and rushed over, excited.

"Did you see? Did you see?" Luffy was practically bouncing where he stood, hat flopping on the string behind his head.

"I did," Makino didn't look at all worried for him, nor did she seem ready to admonish him for doing something foolish. Then again, Sabo was sure she was used to Luffy's antics by this point. "But you need to be careful when you do that. If you're a rocket, you have to be aiming for something, right?"

Sabo braced himself for Ace's interjection, and the freckled boy didn't disappoint.

"That's what I told him!"

"Oh. I didn't think of it that way." Luffy didn't even seem to hear Ace, which had the older boy's temper bubbling up again. Sabo held back a sigh, knowing he'd have to find a way to placate Ace before he started an outright brawl in front of Makino.

He saw Ace raising his fist to whack Luffy on the head, but he didn't intervene. It wasn't like Ace really hurt him with those hits, and sometimes, Luffy really needed them. Especially when Luffy kept doing reckless things that worried his older brothers, and their concern went in one rubber ear and right out the other.

"But it'll be okay, Makino. You don't have to worry about me." Even from behind Luffy, Sabo could _feel_ how bright Luffy's grin was. "My brothers are here! So even if I get in a dangerous situation, I'll be fine!"

Sabo felt his eyes widen a little at Luffy's claim, heat rising on his cheeks again. Just like that, Luffy managed to chase away any lingering irritation or worry, replacing it with a warm and almost fuzzy feeling that made Sabo want to yank the boy into a hug. Unfortunately, Ace seemed to have the same realization mid-swing, too late to stop himself from following through with his hit. It was sheer luck and quick reaction time that had Sabo grabbing onto Ace's arm, yanking it back so he missed by a wide berth. The force caused them both to stumble, with Ace nearly tackling him to the ground, but they managed to regain their footing with little more than startled grunts and an awkward twist of limbs.

Sabo tried very hard not to vocalize anything he was feeling, daring a glance over at Makino and Luffy again. They'd missed something Luffy had said, but from the way Makino was hugging him and smiling, it seemed like she'd approved. When she winked at them, Sabo felt the heat on his cheeks intensify, and he felt more than saw when Ace yanked away and turned, hiding his expression.

Feeling at ease, Sabo gave Makino a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. Well, if Makino, who had known Luffy so much longer than they did, approved of them… that was a good thing.

"Okay," Makino released Luffy, returning her attention to him. "Let's get your new clothes on so we can see how they fit. I'm going to stay a while longer tonight, and then cook dinner."

"Yay!" Luffy was back to being energetic, throwing his hands into the air and cheering. "Makino's cooking is the best!"

Sabo was still smiling when Luffy whirled around to face them, waving his hands in excitement. "Ace, Sabo, you have to try Makino's cooking! It's really, really good!"

"Is it?" Sabo's inviting attitude had Luffy hurrying over to gush about all the different food Makino had made him when he'd been in Windmill Village. Ace kept glancing over, not quite responding, but definitely giving Luffy his attention. His cheeks were still a little red from Luffy's innocent declaration that everything would be okay since his brothers were there.

On one hand, Sabo still really wanted to hug him for it. On the other, it gave him a very firm resolve that he never wanted to let Luffy down. Not when Luffy had such unwavering faith in them.

He listened with patience as Luffy told them about a treasure tab, which had Ace shooting a momentary apologetic glance at Makino, but the older woman merely giggled at the reminder, obviously willing to encourage Luffy rather than try and belittle his dreams. If for any reason Luffy never managed to pay back the treasure tab, Sabo would make sure he or Ace did.

Luffy continued to talk as Makino beckoned them over to get into their new clothes. She let Ace and Sabo dress themselves, but she helped Luffy when it came to putting his new shorts on. While Luffy was muffled from pulling a shirt on, Makino took Ace's wrist and guided him to sit in front of her. Sabo watched with a grin as Makino began carding her fingers through Ace's hair, ridding him of the twigs and dirt he'd acquired as a result of Luffy's rocket. The freckled boy was blushing again, but he'd clearly never had anyone like Makino dote on him, and no matter how stubborn or abrasive he tried to act, her attention was not unwelcome.

Sabo briefly thought back to his own mother as he examined the shirt Makino had given him. It was a light blue color with a darker blue fish in the center. A child's shirt, and yet so simplistic and whimsical in design that it would never be found on a willing noble child in High Town. What would his mother say if she could see him in such attire?

His mood soured at the thought. The woman was no more his mother than he was a future royal. If there was anything he'd learned in his time in High Town, the Gray Terminal, and on the mountain with his brothers, it was that blood meant absolutely nothing when it came to family. Not his mother, but _that woman_ he'd lived with in High Town… she would have disapproved of everything about the person he'd become, and that thought made him happy. In one visit, Makino had freely given more affection and warmth to him than _that woman_ had even attempted in his entire life. The biggest and most staggering difference was that Makino wasn't even asking for anything in return. It seemed to be unconditional, just like Luffy's love and acceptance of them.

"Sabo," Luffy whined, snapping him out of his thoughts. The younger boy was flailing his limbs a little with his head _and_ his left arm stuck in the armhole of his shirt. How he'd even managed such a thing, Sabo would never know, although he assumed it had involved Luffy's Devil Fruit ability and a lack of patience.

"Stop moving," Sabo instructed, firmly grasping Luffy's left hand and shoving his head back down through the sleeve. Luffy's yelp cut off as his rubbery body accommodated for the cramped space, and then his head was popping out of the neck hole, the straw hat somehow coming out along with it. Of course he hadn't taken his hat off to put his shirt on - it wouldn't be Luffy if he thought of something like that.

"Shishishi! Thanks!" Luffy rubbed one finger under his nose, looking sheepish. "Hey, we look alike for once!"

Sabo blinked at the observation, looking down at himself again and then grinning at Luffy. "We do, don't we, Ace?"

He cast a glance at the unusually quiet boy. Ace's eyes had slipped shut, the tension gone from his shoulders thanks to Makino's gentle attention. At Luffy and Sabo's words however, his eyes opened again. Rather than try to play it off or act nonchalant, he actually gave a slight grin. "It's nice seeing Sabo looking more like us," he conceded.

"Yeah!" Luffy wound his arms around Sabo and hugged him immediately, peering up with his bright expression and wide grin. The warm feeling was back. Sabo could do little more than bring his arms up to return Luffy's hug as he blushed. It was true that his clothes made him stand out from the other two, but the way Luffy and Ace said it wasn't a jab at his expense or even good-natured mocking for his current attire. It was innocent acceptance. They were claiming he looked like he _belonged_ with them, and it was a good feeling.

"I'll have to make sure to bring some more clothes next time," Makino giggled, watching Sabo and Luffy fondly. "I didn't know there would be three of you, or I would have brought more this time."

"O-oh, don't worry about it," Sabo found himself saying, laughing sheepishly. "This is more than enough. Thank you, Makino-san."

"Thank you, Makino," Luffy echoed.

"Thanks," Ace mumbled, following suit and looking embarrassed again.

"Ah," Makino put a hand to her cheek, giggling again. "You're all very welcome."

Luffy let go of Sabo and immediately wandered off, though once Sabo realized he was just chasing a beetle, he relaxed from his automatic 'follow Luffy' pose. Ace saw this and sighed, pushing himself up. His hair was now completely free of twigs thanks to Makino's handiwork.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Ace told Sabo, turning and heading after the distracted boy.

"Does he wander off often?" Makino asked, turning her attention to Sabo.

"Yeah," Sabo nodded once. "Most times, he'll stay in sight, but if whatever he's chasing gets far enough away… well, he goes with it."

"That sounds like Luffy," Makino's lips quirked into another amused smile.

Sabo studied her for several moments, and when she met his gaze, she didn't avert her eyes or question him. Instead, she just watched, observing him much in the same way he was observing her. Makino really wasn't like most adults he'd met.

He took a seat next to her, thinking back to the moment they'd met. "Thanks, Makino-san."

"For what?" Makino questioned. He'd already thanked her for the clothes, and for watching over Luffy, after all.

"You didn't exclude Ace, even though he's not as good around people," Sabo explained, dark blue eyes finding his brothers again and watching as Ace more or less stood guard near the most reckless of the trio. "He's not used to people being nice to him like that."

"Something tells me you aren't either," Makino's voice was gentle, completely void of any judgment. It made his cheeks burn again.

"Yeah," he admitted softly. "Until Luffy got here, Ace and I weren't used to anyone being so… nice, or open with us. Ace might not show it very well, but Luffy's really important to him."

It went without saying that Luffy was incredibly important to him, too. It was still a little jarring to realize how much Luffy's presence and actions - even in their simplicity - impacted him.

" _This is boring," Luffy complained, dangling his legs over the ledge. They'd pretended to sleep in, but breakfast had been such a mess that Dadan and the other bandits had mostly left them to their own devices. She'd barked orders for someone to get them their clothes so they could leave, but the clothes weren't dry yet. It left them all waiting around in oversized shirts with nothing better to do._

" _At least they're not trying to make us do chores," Sabo offered, grinning._

" _I think Dadan's gone crazy," Ace plopped down next to Luffy, looking just as bored._

" _Dadan was always crazy," Luffy said knowingly. "But she's funny when she's like this."_

 _Sabo chuckled and sat on Luffy's other side, letting his legs dangle over the edge as well. "It's not so bad relaxing a little. Gives our bruises time to heal."_

" _I'm all healed though," Luffy said, grabbing his upper lip and stretching it up so Sabo could see his gums._

" _Yeah," Sabo nodded to him. "You did a good job keeping your bandages on all night."_

 _Luffy let go of his lip and gave a giant grin. "Yep! I didn't even feel it," he said proudly._

 _Ace and Sabo exchanged an amused glance over his head, but he didn't seem to notice it. Maybe some day the youngest brother would be less oblivious and they wouldn't get away with as much, but for now, it was easy to let things - quite literally - go over his head._

 _There was a shout from outside that made Luffy blink, before suddenly jumping down from the ledge. Ace and Sabo quickly followed, unsure if the shout had meant trouble or not. Either way, if Luffy was going to investigate, they were coming too._

 _All three boys peeked outside. Ace frowned in confusion, while Sabo's eyes lit up a little with curiosity. Across the yard, next to an obviously confused Dadan, was an old man and a lovely young woman. Her dark green hair was covered by a bandana, and there was a warmth in her expression that seemed natural._

 _It was on the tip of Sabo's tongue to ask about their visitors when Luffy suddenly gave a happy cry and dashed forward, abandoning his brothers._

" _Makino!"_

 _The young woman whirled around, eyes positively lighting up. "Luffy!" It was obvious Luffy was going for a hug, and Makino immediately knelt to sweep him into her arms._

 _It wasn't exactly odd seeing Luffy hugging someone else, but at the same time, it was. Both Ace and Sabo had gotten used to being the only ones Luffy acted affectionate with. The name Makino was familiar from Luffy's ramblings, but neither one of them had ever really paid attention before, and he hadn't brought her up recently._

 _They both stood in the doorway, taking in the scene. The old man seemed to be relieved too, even though they couldn't really hear what was being said. Sabo glanced across the doorway to Ace, who shrugged lightly, returning his gaze to the strangers Luffy was focused on. Neither one of them really knew what to make of the situation. If Luffy's friends were visiting, they shouldn't get in the way, right?_

 _It didn't sit well with either of them. Sabo didn't even need to look at Ace to know he felt the same. The idea of being left out when Luffy was involved seemed like a completely foreign concept now._

 _Then the young woman, Makino, was producing clothing for their little brother and beckoning them over, and still neither boy budged other than the initial shock of being addressed by her in the first place. Sabo was compelled to join them automatically, but he held himself back. This woman didn't know them, didn't owe them anything, and Luffy hadn't bothered to introduce-_

" _Ace! Sabo! C'mere!" Luffy was facing them now, waving with the same cheerful expression he always had when he wanted to show his brothers something. The anxiety melted away when Luffy looked at them that way. Luffy seemed to expect this person would automatically love them the way he did, and even though his knowledge of basic human nature rebelled against such a stupid idea, if anyone were capable of making that kind of judgment so easily, it would be Luffy._

 _He heard Ace's indignant sound and felt the freckled boy turn towards him for solidarity, but he'd already lost the battle, hesitantly stepping forward. Luffy's grin got even wider, which had him grinning back, albeit shyly, and heading over to meet Luffy's friend. Any residual hesitance Sabo felt, any worry about being judged or scrutinized for his presence around Luffy, all melted away the moment Luffy referred to him as 'Niichan'._

"Idiot!" Ace's voice snapped Sabo out of his reminiscing, both the blond and the green-haired woman looking up to see what they'd missed. At some point, Luffy had abandoned his beetle-chase to latch onto Ace in a rubbery and restricting hug.

Sabo chuckled. Ace was prying at Luffy and stumbling around, but he wasn't really trying to fully dislodge the younger boy.

"He calls him an idiot a lot," Makino observed.

The blond looked at her, briefly concerned that she might start to disapprove of Ace's behavior, but there was a softness in her eyes when she said it, almost like she understood. When she looked to Sabo again, her smile was curious.

"Ah…" Sabo grinned at her, wide enough to show the gap from his missing tooth. "When I first met Ace, we didn't have anyone to call family or friend. We made a business arrangement to work together and watch each other's backs, but we only trusted each other so much, and only as long as the other was useful."

He glanced back to Ace and Luffy, grin softening. Ace had given up trying to pry Luffy off and was just standing there while the rubber boy giggled and clung. They knew from experience he'd probably get distracted soon enough, and struggling only increased the risk of falling over. Since Luffy never felt pain from something like that, it really didn't deter him.

"Only idiots love or trust unconditionally," Sabo spoke again when Makino didn't, his voice soft. "That's what Ace told me when I asked him when he'd trust me more."

"I see," Makino followed his gaze to watch the two boys. Sure enough, Luffy's limbs retracted, snapping back into place while he hovered in the air for a moment. When he hit the ground, he went back to chasing his beetle, Ace trailing behind him.

"Luffy never asked about our pasts or why we were so mean to him when we met him," Sabo continued. "He just wanted to be our friend, even…" he trailed off, shame flickering in his eyes for a moment. "Even though we really didn't deserve him at the time. We're making up for that now though," he added hastily.

"It's alright," Makino placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to feel guilty or ashamed for your mistakes, Sabo."

"Really?" Sabo turned to face her, and he hoped his expression wasn't coming across as skeptical.

"Did you learn from it?" Makino asked him.

Sabo swallowed at her simple question. The only time he and Ace had approached the subject had been when Sabo had been trying to make a point. He couldn't say for sure if he'd learned from the specific experience, but he did know he would never let something like that happen to Luffy again. "Ace and I will protect Luffy," was the answer he gave.

"Are the three of you happy with how things have turned out?" Makino continued.

Sabo thought back to their toast, some of his tension draining away. No matter what had happened in the past, they were right where they needed to be now. Wasn't that what truly mattered in the end? '"...yeah," Sabo answered her, daring a shy glance to her face and the smile he knew she'd be directing at him. "I guess it doesn't matter how we got here, as long as we don't move backwards, huh?" He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them there. "Ace calls him an idiot a lot, but I think he's just as adamant as I am that he stays that way."

Makino squeezed his shoulder, waiting for him to continue, and the gesture was reassuring enough that he felt bold enough to keep confiding in her. Maybe it was specific to Makino herself, with her understanding eyes and her calming presence, but Sabo felt like she would listen to anything he needed to say. He could ramble about the everyday adventures he and his brothers had, or he could tell her about how jaded his view of the world had become at an age where most kids seemed to be more concerned about when they'd get a new toy or what dessert would be. He had a feeling she would listen and even be able to soothe him if he opened up about how betrayed he'd felt the moment he realized the parents he'd been born unconditionally loving hadn't returned that sentiment. He hadn't been born with an initial _choice_ in loving his parents - it had been a natural and imprinted instinct - but they had been given the choice to love him and refused it. That was probably one of the deepest scars in his heart, and a big reason to why he wanted so badly to make sure Luffy never went through a similar tragedy.

When it came to his brothers, he tried to be the responsible one, the voice of reason they could turn to if they had questions. He was the one to mediate the fights (or be the first one to end a fight he was a part of). It wasn't often he felt like he could talk to someone about his own insecurities or shortcomings. The rare moments where he admitted things like this to Ace were few and far between, and the two of them had more of a silent agreement to acknowledge their own flaws and do what they could to fix them without help. It wasn't exactly the same feeling he associated with what a mother should be like, but Makino came extremely close to it.

"We don't want Luffy to see the world the way we do," Sabo admitted finally, not wanting to lose the opportunity to talk to Makino before Ace and Luffy made their way back over. "Even though he's been through hard times, and he was an orphan like Ace, he's still able to find something worth loving in people no one else would bother with. I can't exactly speak for Ace, but I… I used to be hopeful and naive like Luffy. I put my trust in the wrong people, and I never want Luffy to feel the same way I did when I realized it was possible to love someone who doesn't care at all about you."

"You've been through far more than a child your age should ever have to go through," Makino spoke softly. "It's admirable that you want to protect Luffy from having to go through anything like that as well. I knew from the moment I met you boys that Luffy was in good hands, but I didn't realize just how good until now."

Sabo felt the blush spreading on his pale skin again, all the way to the tips of his ears. "Luffy's reckless, and he's a crybaby, and he's not very strong yet," he explained, the words coming out in a bit of a rush. "But I wouldn't want him any other way. He's our little brother now, and we won't let anyone get away with hurting him. We'll help him get stronger."

If Makino had planned to answer that statement, Sabo didn't get to hear it. Luffy came running back at that moment, throwing himself into Sabo's lap - barely giving the blond a chance to release his knees and make his lap available for Luffy to do such a thing - and talking excitedly about the beetle he'd briefly caught and played with.

Ace followed a slower pace, hands shoved in his pockets. He wasn't as naturally observant as Sabo, but there was a look on his face that indicated he'd realized Sabo was talking rather seriously with Makino. Sabo simply smiled in response to the unspoken concern, ruffling Luffy's hair.

"Ne, Sabo?" Luffy twisted a bit to look up at Sabo when the hair-ruffling ended.

"Hm?" Sabo asked, feeling more relaxed than ever before.

"What does my shirt say?"

Sabo put his hands on Luffy's shoulders and pushed back a little. Of the few shirts Makino had brought, the one Luffy had put on was probably the most ironic. "Anchor," he answered.

Ace snickered, and for a brief moment, irritation flashed on Luffy's face.

"Makino!" Luffy whined, jumping up and frowning at her. Sabo prepared himself to apologize for Luffy's selfish behavior, only to tilt his head to the side when Luffy paused.

"I thought you might want it," Makino explained with an amused smile at Luffy.

The rubber boy grabbed the hem of his shirt and stretched it out a bit, looking down at it. When he lifted his gaze again, he was beaming. "Thanks, Makino!"

Sabo opened his mouth to question what had just happened, positive he was missing something, but Makino was looking at him again.

"Are you keeping up with your studies?" she questioned.

"Ah… not really," Sabo admitted. "I did as much as I could, but it's not easy to find a lot of books in the Gray Terminal. I've been trying to help Luffy though."

"Sabo's teaching me how to write!" Luffy put his hands on his hips, adopting a proud stance. "He said I read really good!"

"Read really well," Makino correct patiently. "And I'm glad. What about you, Ace?"

"I know enough," Ace shrugged his shoulders.

"What he means is he took an interest a while ago, but once he had the basics, he stopped listening to me," Sabo clarified. "I'm trying to get him to sit in on Luffy's lessons."

"That's a wonderful idea," Makino clasped her hands together in front of her. "Next time I visit, I'll bring you some books - I still have Luffy's study materials at the bar."

"Ah, that's right," Sabo nodded, mostly to himself. "Luffy mentioned you were the one who taught him before."

Luffy nodded eagerly. "Makino gave me a treat when I finished my reading!"

"Bribery," Sabo murmured thoughtfully. "I should have thought of that."

"You can't bribe me with anything," Ace pointed out with a smug expression.

Sabo tilted his head to the side, only to grin wickedly, which had the smug expression on his brother's face faltering.

"We're Luffy's big brothers," Sabo stated matter-of-factly. "So we should set a good example for him, right?"

"What a wonderful idea," Makino added, clearly playing along with Sabo's statement. "Luffy would probably learn faster if he had two examples to follow."

"I dunno what that means, but my brothers are the best!" Luffy added, smiling brilliantly.

Just like that, Ace lost the fight and any excuses he could have come up with, turning away with a begrudging grumble of acceptance. Before the three could gang up on him again, he redirected the conversation. "So Luffy, why aren't you upset about your shirt?"

Luffy tilted his head to the side. "Why would I be upset?"

"You always get mad when we tease you for not being able to swim," Ace pointed out.

"Oh, that's different," Luffy said easily, plopping down on the grass between Makino and Sabo. "Shanks always called me Anchor, even before I ate my fruit!"

"Shanks? That's the pirate you said gave you your hat and saved your life, right?" Sabo questioned. It had been a while since Luffy had spoken about it.

"Yeah!" Luffy gave a giant grin, one usually reserved for the brothers. "I owe my life to Shanks! I wonder how he and the guys are doing?" He reached up to remove his hat, holding it in his hands and looking to it fondly.

"You never did tell us how he saved you," Sabo commented. He wondered if it had to do with the scar on Luffy's face.

Luffy faltered, expression darkening a little.

"Oh, Luffy," Makino touched her cheek thoughtfully. "The mayor wanted to ask you about what kind of food we should bring next time we visit. You should go let him know before he forgets. You know how forgetful he can be."

"Ah!" Completely distracted, Luffy shoved the hat onto his head, scrambled to his feet, and ran for Dadan's house, intent on tracking the poor mayor down and talking his ear off about food. Sabo had no doubt the conversation would be entirely about meat.

"You don't want us to know?" Ace asked, an edge to his voice.

"I don't want Luffy to have to think about it," Makino admitted. "I think in time, he'll stop blaming himself, but right now it makes him feel weak. He gets frustrated with himself when he doesn't feel like he's getting stronger, right?"

"Yeah," Sabo answered, eyes following Luffy until the younger boy disappeared inside the house. "Can you tell us about what happened, or would that be prying?"

"It's alright," Makino assured him, motioning for Ace to sit down. He did so without complaint, an unusually serious look on his face.

"I won't bore you with all the details," Makino stated. "Luffy can explain everything to you later, in time, if you're interested."

"Fair enough," Sabo agreed.

"I suppose then, I should start with the red-haired captain," Makino murmured, expression almost wistful. "And how his presence influenced the person Luffy became."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Please let me know what you think, both about the chapter and the length!**

 **~Mithril**


	6. Scars

**A/N: *wobble wobble flop***

 **So, I managed to get this done in time for my weekly update! I cut it really close there (Sorry, Beyond Kailani! Thank you so much for the super short notice beta!)**

 **I'm going through some very difficult times right now and I'd like to say I'll be able to keep writing as much as I usually do, but until this stabilizes, I might have a slight delay. Still hoping that's not the case, though! Since all of you wonderful reviewers left me giddy and excited last week.**

 **Seriously, it helped me so much with everything going on in real life right now, so a huge thanks to you guys :)**

 **To the guest reviewer:**

Fair enough! I suppose that's what I mean by an aesthetic choice; saying 'big brother' to address someone is awkward in English. Another reason I might use the Japanese is to address someone in a way where there are multiple Japanese options, like "Father". Otousan, Otousama, Otouchan, Chichiue, and the like. I know I throw in "daijoubu" as an aesthetic when I don't like the way "I'm alright" or "It's okay" sound compared to the more universal/vague version to cover the bases. And I definitely prefer "Oyaji" to "Pops" or "Old Man", so I'll be using that one.

 **On that note!**

 **Jiji = Grandfather/Old Man, commonly translated as "Gramps"**

 **As always, dedicated to Ascaisil**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 6: Scars_

* * *

"I suppose then, I should start with the red-haired captain, and how his presence influenced the person Luffy became."

Ace glanced over his shoulder only once to make sure Luffy was thoroughly distracted - which he was, although there was a chance the mayor had noticed he was being used as such and accommodated for that - before giving his full attention to Makino.

"Luffy mentioned him a few times, but all he really said was that he's gonna become a great pirate like this Shanks guy, and that he saved his life," Ace commented.

"It's true," Makino nodded. "The Captain and his crew first came to the village when Luffy was six. They often left on small voyages, but they came back and remained at port for a little over a year before leaving for good."

She smiled, a faraway look in her reddish-brown eyes. Ace had never been as good at reading people as Sabo, but even he could tell that when Makino spoke of this 'Captain Shanks', she was thinking of him fondly.

"Luffy and the Captain… they had a special relationship," Makino continued warmly. "But back then, Luffy lacked guidance. He wanted to be a pirate for adventures, but the full weight of what that meant was lost on him. He didn't realize how serious it was, and he didn't understand how to pick his battles. He used to think being insulted was a good enough reason to fight someone."

Ace quirked an eyebrow at that statement. The Luffy he'd initially met _had_ gotten riled up pretty easily over being spat on, but he'd also forgiven him just as easily and claimed it wasn't anything worth being mad about. When he'd initially told Sabo about it, they'd written it off as strange but uninteresting.

"I think Luffy was lonely," Makino admitted. "I was watching over him, but what he really craved was friendship and companionship. There were a few other kids in the village, but even though they liked him, he never really found what he was looking for with them. When the Captain came into his life, Luffy finally found someone he could be himself with. The Captain was never exhausted by Luffy's energy or insulted by his blunt manner, and even when he humored Luffy, it was never done in a condescending way. Luffy wanted his attention the way any other child wanted their parents' attention in the village, and the Captain always gave it to him."

"So Luffy looked to him as a father?" Sabo questioned softly.

Ace's gaze dropped to his lap at that question. They'd all sought something like that at one point or another, it seemed. While Ace hated his birth father, much of that hate was born from the unfairness of having to bear such a burden without even getting to have someone he could call 'father'. Luffy never seemed upset about not having parents, but it was only natural for him to seek that kind of influence out, wasn't it? Makino may not have been that much older, all things considered, but she'd filled the maternal role for Luffy.

Had Luffy also wondered about his phantom father? And had it really been so easy for him to replace that phantom with this red-haired pirate?

"I can't say for sure, but that probably describes their relationship best," Makino answered fondly. "They fell into it naturally, as if they'd known each other much longer. I'm sure even now, and in the future, if they were to meet again, no matter how much either of them have changed, it would feel just like old times. There are some people we meet in this world who feel like they've always belonged in our lives. Even after separating from them, no matter how long it takes, when you find them again, it feels like you've come home."

Ace and Sabo exchanged glances at that statement, and Ace found he couldn't help but smile a little. It sounded like their bond. Even if the future was still far off, one day they would have to travel their separate paths. He knew no matter how long it took them to find each other, it would feel like home when they met again.

"So how did Shanks save his life?" Ace asked, looking back to Makino and feeling oddly at ease.

"Shortly before Garp-san took Luffy from the village, a group of bandits led by a man named Higuma came into the bar. They were rude and foul, but no one was hurt by their presence. Higuma tried to humiliate the Captain, but… he just laughed it off, even though Luffy was furious about it."

"What happened?" Sabo asked when Makino paused.

Ace leaned in a little, waiting for the answer. The smile he'd managed was slipping into a frown.

"At that time, nothing. They left after barely damaging the bar and pouring sake on the Captain. When Luffy confronted them for not taking it seriously, the Captain told him it was just some spilled sake, and not worth getting upset over. Luffy couldn't understand or approve of that attitude. When the bandits came back to the bar, it was after the pirates had been gone on a voyage for some time," Makino sighed softly. "I knew Luffy wouldn't be able to sit still if they caused any trouble."

"Did they?" Sabo asked, unable to help himself from prompting her for more.

"No, but Higuma started to ridicule the Captain, openly mocking him with the other bandits," Makino gave a soft, if somewhat exasperated smile. "Naturally, Luffy couldn't stand for someone insulting the man he respected, even if he was still angry with him, so he confronted Higuma."

"Was he already a Devil Fruit user by then?" Ace asked, unable to keep silent any longer.

"Yes," Makino nodded. "I suppose that's important, isn't it? He accidentally ate a Devil Fruit the Captain and his crew had with him during Higuma's first confrontation. He'd been practicing a little since he ate it, but he was nowhere near as strong or as in control as he is now. At the very least though, it stopped him from actually being hurt by anything Higuma did, which I'm grateful for."

Ace glanced at Sabo, the two nodding absently. They were grateful for that too. "So, this Shanks guy showed up to save him from Higuma?"

"Yes," Makino nodded again. "We were all worried, but before Higuma could make good on a threat to kill Luffy, the Captain showed up with some of his crew members. They returned from their voyage just in time. However," her tone made both boys pause, the grins they'd started to show slipping from their faces. "Higuma managed to escape with Luffy as a hostage."

Makino looked to them both with sympathy, then reached out and affectionately smoothed some of Sabo's curls, causing him to blush a little. "None of us saw what happened when the Captain found them. Higuma had taken Luffy out to sea and kicked him into the water. He was still new enough to his Devil Fruit that he didn't sink immediately, but there's a sea king that off the coast by the village. It ate Higuma, and went after Luffy next."

Thoughts of a panicked, crying Luffy struggling to stay afloat in the ocean immediately filtered through Ace's mind, along with a question he really wanted to know the answer to. Was that how Luffy had gotten the scar on his face? Had it been a truly horrific attack?

"The Captain rescued Luffy," Makino reminded them both, which had Sabo relaxing a little. His shoulders had gone tense at the mention of Luffy being in the sea. "But he lost his arm to the Lord of the Coast in the process."

That statement had both boys looking to Makino soberly, their expressions mirroring one another.

"He lost his arm?" Ace repeated, hesitant.

Makino nodded, a sad smile playing on her lips. "He wasn't upset about it. That's one thing you should understand about the Captain… he said his arm was nothing compared to Luffy's safety. I overheard him telling his first mate there hadn't been time to do anything but grab Luffy from the monster's teeth at the last second. He hadn't found him quickly enough. His first mate argued that the Captain could have dispatched the sea king easily, but… he said there was a slight chance, no matter how strong he was, that he wouldn't have acted in time if he'd worried about himself. It was far more important to him that Luffy was unharmed."

She reached up to tuck some hair behind her ear, gazing up at the sky. "Luffy cried and cried that day, angry with himself for being too weak to stop Higuma, or even land a single hit on him… he cried because his actions led to the Captain getting hurt… and of course he must have been scared, but his tears seemed to come from his frustration and guilt. But, he awoke with renewed purpose. Remember how I said Luffy would fight and argue and get angry over the simplest of things? That was how the Captain taught him that there are some things in this world better spent laughing off than getting upset about… and at the same time, there are some things that cannot be forgiven, like someone hurting his friends. Luffy really took those words to heart."

She looked back to the boys. The story was obviously about to end, but Ace was grateful she'd had the foresight to send Luffy away to tell them about all of this. Even if Luffy was accepting that it wasn't his fault Shanks had lost an arm, it was still a recent enough memory that hearing it would have caused the guilt to come back.

"It took some time for Luffy to stop blaming himself," Makino spoke after a moment, as if reading Ace's thoughts and answering them. "But when the Captain and his crew left for good, Luffy had stopped begging to be taken with them. He said he would form his own crew and become stronger."

"Luffy," Sabo murmured, a soft smile on his lips.

Ace didn't speak. He couldn't help but think back to the moment he'd first met Luffy. He'd seen him as a spoiled, childish little crybaby who didn't understand what it was like to suffer or struggle the way he had. Luffy had been just as angry and childish as expected when Ace had spat on him, but even if he'd later claimed it to be uninteresting, it had caught his attention that Luffy had quickly gotten over it.

Makino was completely right about Luffy taking that red-haired Captain's words to heart. He'd stopped getting worked up in earnest over petty things. Ace couldn't help but smile again at that thought. That Shanks had saved Luffy's life was more or less common knowledge to anyone who knew the hyperactive little rubber man, but this was the first time they'd learned about just how much Shanks had done for Luffy and how much of Luffy's personality had been shaped by knowing that man.

"After hearing that, the Captain entrusted Luffy with his hat, which he claimed to be a very treasured possession," Makino continued softly. "He told Luffy to return it to him someday, as a great pirate."

"No wonder he says that thing's his treasure," Ace commented finally, glancing back in the direction Luffy had gone. It didn't even sound like Shanks had tried coddling Luffy about the incident with the bandits, either. Ace really respected that. "We didn't know the whole story."

"We still don't," Sabo reminded Ace, who paused and looked back over. The blond was focused on Makino, his expression serious. "Makino-san, can we ask something else?"

"Hm?" Makino tilted her head to the side, regarding him curiously.

"That scar, the one on Luffy's face… how did he get it?" Sabo asked, looking hesitant.

Ace braced himself as well, looking to Makino for the answer. He expected her to look worried, or maybe even refuse to tell them, but he was not expecting it when she suddenly burst out laughing. His temper automatically flared, even though he knew Makino was someone who cared about Luffy and wouldn't laugh at him being hurt without a good reason.

"Ah… Makino-san?" Sabo questioned.

"What the hell is funny about that?!" Ace demanded, shoving himself to his feet as he finally lost control of his temper. She'd just told them the story of how Luffy had nearly been killed by bandits, eaten by a sea king, and saved by someone he respected at the cost of that person's arm, and she was laughing about a scar? Even if she didn't understand how hard it was for Luffy to actually retain an injury, the thought of anyone laughing at Luffy being hurt immediately set him on edge.

"Sorry," Makino continued laughing, holding her stomach from mirth. She looked up at them, and even though Ace was still glaring and Sabo looked more hesitant than ever, she kept grinning like she might chuckle at any moment. "It's just, that happened the morning before Higuma first arrived, and shortly before he ate his Devil Fruit."

Ace's posture relaxed just a little, some of the tension draining out of him at the knowledge that it had happened before he'd eaten his fruit. That meant it was a regular cut, and nothing serious.

"We were worried," Sabo explained, looking anxious and relieved at the same time. "Luffy doesn't get scars anymore, at least not that we've seen. It takes a lot to actually hurt him, and all his cuts or gashes heal without leaving marks because of his rubber skin. So… we didn't know what could have left that scar."

"I see," Makino gave them a sympathetic smile. "Well, that's a story in itself, I suppose. Would you like to hear that too?"

"Yes," the brothers answered in unison. Ace sat back down, trying to ignore how hot his cheeks felt. It would have been easier if Makino had admonished him for flying off the handle the way he had, but her knowing smile hinted that she understood his temper and even welcomed it in response to Luffy's wellbeing. It was a lot like the way Sabo brushed off some of his harsher words when their younger brother was involved, knowing it was born of worry.

"Well, I mentioned before that the Captain and his crew would come and go," Makino resumed speaking, eyes alight with happy memories. "After Luffy warmed up to them, he would beg the Captain to take him along, and some of the other pirates would even try to make a case for him to go with them, but the Captain never budged. He knew how dangerous the seas could be, and even though he cared very much for Luffy, and enjoyed his company, he knew he couldn't risk taking a child along."

"But Luffy would never understand or accept that," Sabo said knowingly.

Ace simply nodded his agreement. Luffy had absolute unwavering faith in his own strength and ability, or at least he seemed to. It was easy for Ace to understand why he'd still be upset over having been made helpless, and someone getting hurt protecting him, but his answer to that problem seemed to have become 'get stronger'.

"He didn't," Makino agreed. "So he started trying to prove how brave and strong he was, to convince the Captain. It started small, with him doing things like eating his food without letting me cut it up first, or walking himself home without letting anyone go with him. Any time he came back from Garp-san's training, he'd claim he wasn't sore or tired, but the Captain always saw through it and spoiled him a little during those times, if he was present."

Sabo looked to Ace, who actually shuddered. "She's not joking," Ace muttered to Sabo. "Jiji is crazy."

"Once," Makino continued to distract from the subject of Garp, "He even tried a sneak attack on one of the crew members."

Ace tensed again, but Makino quickly waved her hand and smiled. "He had a son Luffy's age who he had to leave behind when he became a pirate. He thought Luffy's antics were fun and humored him. You could tell he missed his son, but he was very kind to Luffy, even when poking fun at him."

"I see," Sabo looked relieved. Like Ace, he must have jumped to the wrong conclusion that the scar had come from an accidental defense or retaliation to Luffy's attack.

"So, the morning before he ate his fruit," Makino resumed, "He climbed onto the ship and stood near the figurehead, declaring that he would prove his bravery, and they all gathered to see what he would do this time."

Ace leaned forward a little, while Sabo cast a quick glance around. They both gave Makino their undivided attention once they were sure Luffy was still distracted.

"The Captain was amused… well, they all were, because sometimes Luffy's attempts to prove himself were just so sweet… but then Luffy produced a dagger."

"He didn't," Sabo breathed.

"Didn't what?" Ace scowled at his blond brother, not quite understanding.

"He did," Makino looked apologetic. "And as soon as he stabbed himself, the entire crew panicked to get him treated and take away his weapon. The Captain was still a little anxious even after they knew it would only leave a small scar, but he hid it really well. Luffy was good at making him lose his calm demeanor."

"..." Ace blinked once, then twice. A third time, and then his eyes went _wide._ "Luffy _stabbed himself in the face to try and prove he was brave?!"_

"What was that idiot thinking?!" Sabo jumped to his feet. It was a rare moment where he also opted to refer to Luffy as such. "Stabbing himself like that?! What if he'd missed and hit his eye? He could have lost his sight! Or worse!"

"Just when I think he can't be any dumber than he already is!" Ace threw his hands in the air in exasperation, then jumped to his feet and looked to Sabo. "We have to make sure he doesn't do anything that stupid ever again, Sabo."

"I'll do my best to educate him on what could happen if he does," Sabo agreed, expression grim.

"Jeez, that freaking _moron,"_ Ace muttered, shoving his hand through his hair and messing it up. "Only Luffy. Only Luffy would think something like that was a good idea!"

Makino giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand.

"On one hand, I'm glad that's all it was," Sabo spoke up, looking over at Ace again. "It means we worried about the wrong thing entirely, but at least it means he wasn't badly hurt to get that scar."

"And now I'm worried he's going to do something completely stupid to try and prove himself to us one of these days," Ace growled. He could already envision dozens of ways for Luffy to go about proving himself, and each one was more dangerous and foolish than the last.

Each one was _exactly_ the kind of thing Luffy would do, too.

"Ace! Sabo! Makino!" Luffy's voice had his brothers both turning to frown in his direction. He was running towards them, flailing his arms happily. As soon as he was in range, Ace brought his hand up and made a fist, then brought it down _hard_ on Luffy's rubbery head. He was a little shocked to notice Sabo had done the exact same thing, leading to both of them hitting their little brother at the same time.

"WAH" Luffy went face first into the ground, hard enough that his face actually flattened for a moment, the rest of his body flipping over him and bending in a way that would be painful and unnatural to anyone not made of rubber.

"Idiot!" Ace admonished him, ignoring Sabo's involvement for the time being.

"Don't worry us!" Sabo added, even though Luffy had no idea what he was worrying them about.

Luffy was quick to spring back though, doing a complete flip and not by choice. When his face took the correct shape again, he grasped his head and stared up at them. "That hurt! What was that for?!"

"Did you seriously try to prove you were brave by _stabbing yourself in the face?!"_ Ace demanded, putting his hands on his hips and assuming a threatening stance that would usually let the recipient of his ire know to pick his answer carefully.

Luffy of course, had no such self-preservation instincts, hopping to his feet and scowling. "It didn't hurt at all! I was showing Shanks and the guys that I was tough!"

"It's not tough to injure yourself, Luffy," Sabo said with obvious exasperation. "You make people worry if you do that!

"But I'm okay!" Luffy protested, turning to look at Sabo. Since his back was to Ace, he didn't see when the freckled boy brought his fist up again and gave him another sharp hit. Upon receiving the justified - at least in Ace's opinion - hit, Luffy whirled back around to shout at Ace again. The two quickly began a heated argument about the stupid things Luffy had done in the past or would do in the future, with Luffy defending his actions and bolstering his claims of bravery and fearlessness.

Sabo sighed, allowing the two to argue for several minutes, then stepped forward and put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Alright, that's enough. Just promise us you won't do anything like that to prove your strength to us."

"Don't do anything like that, period! Idiot," Ace all but growled at him, still worked up from the knowledge and ensuing fight. How Sabo could remain so calm would always be a mystery to Ace. It wasn't that he doubted Sabo's dedication or capabilities as a brother, but the fact that he could keep himself so composed was equal parts admirable and infuriating to Ace. It probably always would be.

"I don't know why you're mad at me now!" Luffy retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked ready to keep arguing, but Sabo's hand on his shoulder had an obvious calming effect on him.

Ace was loathe to admit it, but when Sabo reached out and placed a hand on his own shoulder, he started to calm down as well. He managed to maintain his glare, though it didn't seem to have any effect on Luffy. Of course, it rarely did.

"They're mad because they're worried about you," Makino clarified, expression still amused. "Just like the Captain and everyone worried when you hurt yourself."

"But I'm okay," Luffy said again, though he seemed to be contemplating those words. He looked up at Sabo, who gave a slight smile, then over at Ace, who was still glaring. "Oh, is it because I _could_ have been hurt?"

Ace's glare melted into a look of surprise, and he met Sabo's gaze over Luffy's head.

"You actually understand that?" Sabo seemed unable to help himself from asking.

"Well, yeah," Luffy placed his hands on his hips. "Like yesterday, when I got hit by that guy with the weapon on his hand and you had to put the mystery medicine on my mouth."

"Anesthetic," Sabo corrected absently.

Ace ignored Makino's concerned gaze, focusing wholly on Luffy now. He'd thought Sabo's words had gone in one ear and out the other. It had seemed like Luffy had gone to bed with no idea what had gotten them so upset, and they'd resigned themselves to the fact that he likely wouldn't understand or comprehend. To hear him bluntly state such a thing, like he actually _understood_ it…

"You really understand why we were mad yesterday?" Sabo pressed, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"Yeah," Luffy twisted to look up at Sabo. "Because I could have been really hurt, even though I wasn't, and you didn't want to see me get hurt. Right?"

"That's… right," Sabo glanced at Ace again, clearly a little overwhelmed.

"What happened yesterday?" Makino asked, giving the brothers a chance to process Luffy's words.

"I got punched by a guy with brass knuckles on," Luffy explained instantly. "And it actually hurt! And I had to wear a bandage on my mouth last night and it itched, but I kept it on!" He reached up to grab his lip, stretching it way up to show Makino his gums. "Ee? ah heed."

"Yes, I see," Makino nodded. "And it is all healed, isn't it?"

Luffy let his lip snap back into place, a grin on his face. "Shishishi! Yeah! But I thought Ace and Sabo were mad at me at first. But they just wanted to protect me, so they were mad _for_ me. Oh, but I plan to get stronger so they don't have to worry about me anymore, and then I'll get even stronger so I can help protect them!"

Sabo's cheeks reddened. He cast a sideways glance at Ace over Luffy's head, giving a sappy grin with a proud look in his eyes. Just like that, Luffy had disarmed them with his innocent outlook on a situation, easily stating profound things from his simplistic view. Ace rolled his eyes, but he knew he had to be feeling the same emotion Sabo was. The idea of Luffy protecting _them_ was laughable - even if the intent sent a rush of warmth through Ace - but the fact that he finally grasped the concept of other people being worried for his safety was no small matter. There was a chance he might actually be a little less reckless.

Of course, just because he understood didn't necessarily mean he'd change his behavior at all, but Ace could always hope.

Sabo caved in first, pulling Luffy into a hug and grinning down at him. "Thanks, Luffy. If you really don't want to worry us though, just make sure not to try and _prove_ anything to us, okay? We already know you're strong and brave."

Luffy's face lit up - it always did, because Sabo always knew what to say to him - and then Luffy was winding his arms around Sabo in a hug. He didn't cling for very long though, which was surprising to both older boys.

"Oh, the Mayor said he'd be sure to bring some meat next time," Luffy reported, beaming at Makino and sticking close to Sabo. "He also gave me candy!"

He reached into one of his pockets and produced two pieces wrapped in brightly colored paper, then held one up to Sabo. "Here, this one's for you."

"For me?" Sabo's face lit up too now, his eager expression making him seem younger and less jaded.

"Yeah," Luffy gave the piece to him, then held the other out for Ace. "I already ate mine."

Ace glanced at the candy, trying to appear nonchalant. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had candy. It wasn't something they really got, except for a few times when Luffy had wanted it and they'd been in the city anyway. They avoided it because it was usually expensive. It was usually a rare treat they got on special occasions like birthdays. Honestly, Ace was surprised Luffy had managed to save any of it to bring over for them. "Don't you want it?" he found himself asking.

Luffy faltered, looking to the candy in his hand for a moment. He was practically drooling. "Uh… no?" he tried, looking back at Ace after a moment.

"If you want it, you should just eat it," Ace said, trying to give off the impression he didn't care. Luffy was probably used to getting candy all the time from his stay in Windmill Village. Ace was fine without it.

"But it's for Ace!" Luffy protested, fully detaching himself from Sabo and holding the piece out to him.

"It was thoughtful of him to bring us some," Sabo pointed out. "You should just take it, Ace. It's been awhile since we've had candy, hasn't it?"

Ace sighed, but with both of his brothers on his case, he reluctantly reached out and took the candy. He didn't shove Luffy off when the younger boy hugged him, either.

"Well, I'd better go get things started for dinner tonight," Makino said, getting up and dusting herself off. "It's still a ways away, but I'll need to prepare. Thank you boys for being so patient and well behaved."

Sabo was blushing _again,_ which really made Ace want to tease him, but he managed to refrain, nodding to Makino. "We're probably going to go hunt, so don't get worried if you don't see us out here."

"We'll try not to ruin our new clothes!" Luffy added, already bouncing a little at the idea of going out to hunt.

Ace shook his head with a wry grin. If they wanted any chance of tasting whatever Makino planned on cooking, they needed to make sure Luffy got enough food from the forest beforehand.

"Be careful," Makino told them cheerfully, turning and heading for the house.

Ace watched her disappear through the doorway, then put his candy in his pocket for safekeeping. Luffy was bounding ahead already, with Sabo nodding to Ace and chasing after him. It gave Ace a moment alone, standing in the clearing with a pensive look on his face. Small things he'd never really given much thought to about Luffy made complete sense with context. His statement about hating bandits, the fact that he valued friendship over his own safety, and even his deep-seated yearning for companionship. Ace could relate, even if he didn't want to admit it out loud.

He'd spent so much time shoving everyone away from him, feeling unworthy of any form of love or kindness, or simply because he believed it would be taken away once the truth of his heritage came out, but deep down inside, he must have truly wanted friends. A family. He wasn't jealous that Luffy had found someone he could look to as a father, but at the same time, Ace couldn't help but wonder what that was like.

The dark feelings that had always lurked under the surface were all but forgotten when he was around his brothers. He wondered if it was the same for Luffy, who greeted every day with a bright smile and saw the world in such simplistic views. Was there a darkness inside of him as well, a loneliness lurking below the surface and waiting for an opportunity to consume him? Was it pushed aside and forgotten as long as Luffy had someone near him to care about? It would have been easier with Sabo's insight on the matter, but that would have to wait until Luffy fell asleep and they could speak in private.

"Ace! Hurry up!" Luffy's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he sighed, lips twitching into a small grin. Luffy and Sabo were perfectly capable of catching something without him, but Luffy hated leaving anyone out. His thoughts went back to the candy in his pocket. Luffy had said the mayor had given it to him, which meant he'd made the conscious decision to share it, even though sharing food was practically unheard of on the mountain. If the mayor had told Luffy to share it, Luffy would have stated that plainly and bluntly as always. As strange as it sounded, the fact that Luffy wanted to share his candy with them spoke volumes for the depth of his affection. Most times, Luffy expressed his love in the most straightforward and simplistic ways.

It didn't matter if that darkness haunted his little brother. He would make sure Luffy never felt the same loneliness and hopelessness the darkness preyed upon. Someday, Luffy would have nakama he could rely on, people who would gravitate towards Luffy's natural warmth, and Ace would feel more at ease about his little brother sailing without himself or Sabo. Until that day came, Ace would make sure Luffy could always count on one of his brothers to be there if he needed them.

"Aaaaaaaace!" Luffy's whine echoed and drew a chuckle from the freckled boy.

"I'm coming! Quit whining!" Ace shouted back, sprinting in the direction his brothers had gone with a huge grin on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it! The truth about the scar is out! And again yes, I'm so sorry, this is going to follow canon ; ; But I have an AU in the works that Beyond Kailani is beta'ing for me so hopefully I'll have that one ready to post soon! Much luvvies guys, hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Mithril**


	7. Home

**A/N: Hullo! Managed to finish my chapter on time again, thanks to the lovely Beyond Kailani and her ability to not murder me and leave me in a shallow grave for throwing her chapters to beta just hours before I plan to post xD**

 **Sorry I didn't have time to reply to all the reviews. Life. It's hectic and annoying sometimes. This is one of those times. Hope this chapter makes up for it :) I've decided to skip Garp's initial entrance scene so as not to get repetitive, but he will show up in later chapters. This chapter assumes the anime entrance is canon.**

Also hoping to start posting one of my other stories, perhaps this weekend; it'll be an AU with the Whitebeard Pirates that takes place when the ASL trio are still kids. It's a bit darker than Kyoudai, and when I say a bit I mean a lot. I've been throwing chapters of it at Beyond Kailani for a while now and I think I might have enough written to comfortably post it soon.

 **Now without further ado!**

 **Jiji = Grandfather/Old Man, commonly translated as "Gramps"**

 **Jiichan = Grandpa; more affectionate and less formal**

 **As always, dedicated to Ascaisil**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 7: Home_

* * *

"Luffy, stop getting distracted! Do you want to go to the village or not?!"

Sabo cracked a wry smile at Ace's tone. His eyes were on Luffy, who for the third time since they'd set out, had gotten distracted and wandered off the path. The current source of his interest was a large dragonfly that had initially landed on his nose, and was now trying to escape the exuberant boy's eager grasp.

It was almost funny; Luffy could break through walls and crash into his brothers with what seemed like intent to destroy sometimes, but when he tried to catch living creatures in the forest, his touch was never rough enough to damage them. The dragonfly in question wasn't trying very hard to get away, although the one time it did fly higher than a normal child would be able to reach, Luffy had simply stretched. Maybe the poor insect knew it couldn't escape Luffy's grasp, or like his older brothers - especially Ace in terms of acting like he wanted to get away - didn't really want to.

"Luffy," Sabo spoke up, seeing that their freckled brother was quickly losing what little patience he had. "It's a long walk to your village, and we already stopped twice to eat. If you don't hurry, we won't get to visit Makino-san very long."

"Ah," Luffy looked up in realization, giving a bright grin. "You're right! I didn't think about that!" He let go of the dragonfly, which he'd caught just moments earlier. "Bye bye, Mister Dragonfly!"

Ace turned away, likely to hide the look on his face, because there was nothing more adorable than Luffy talking to his animal friends sometimes. Sabo himself felt a grin forming on his face, but he didn't care if Luffy saw the sappy look.

They'd left their pipes back at their new home, in the treehouse they'd somehow managed to build over the course of just a couple days. It hadn't been a planned evacuation of Dadan's house or anything, but Sabo had to admit, it was probably for the best. Garp's arrival on their already tumultuous home had added another element of complication and danger, and while Sabo didn't think for a minute that Garp wouldn't be able to track them down and find them if he really wanted to, there was something liberating about having a place they could call _theirs._ It wasn't like they were going out of their way to hide, either. Sabo knew for a fact Dadan had already come to visit them at least once - she was as bad as Ace when it came to admitting she cared or worried - and the flag they'd flown with their joint mark on it would probably be easy for someone like Garp to spot when he came into port. Still, when they curled up to sleep in the home of their own making and choosing, it _felt_ safe and secure.

Luffy reached out with one rubbery hand to grasp onto Ace's arm, and the older boy quickly braced himself for impact, digging his feet into the ground so he wouldn't get yanked back. Barely seconds after he'd prepared himself, Luffy came flying over with the retraction of his arm, giggling and wrapping his arms around Ace mid-landing.

"You can just walk on your own, ya know!" Ace complained. "And what did I tell you about rocketing all over the place?"

"Something about not doing it," Luffy answered cheekily, still hugging him. "But it's fun!"

"I swear, one of these days," Ace grumbled, prying Luffy off of him.

Sabo laughed, barely able to stop himself from doubling over. Arguments like that were commonplace amongst the dark-haired boys these days, and even though Luffy had accidentally yanked both of them back into himself when attempting to rocket to their side at one point or another, they'd since gotten used to his antics and knew how to prepare themselves better.

Sabo liked to think every day was a learning experience in evolving along with Luffy's whims.

"What's so funny?" Luffy asked, looking up at Sabo with a bright expression. Ace had successfully pried the boy off and was back to leading the trek down the mountain. Sabo put a hand on Luffy's back to usher him forward a little, walking alongside him so Ace didn't leave them both behind.

"Nothing," Sabo chuckled, grinning down at him. "Are you looking forward to visiting home?"

An odd look passed over Luffy's face for a moment, and the way he studied Sabo's face made the blond think he shouldn't have asked.

"Not really," Luffy answered, reaching up to pick at his nose. "But I'm really excited to go see Makino and the Mayor and everyone!"

Ace shot him a questioning glance, but for once, Sabo had no idea how to respond. He simply shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Luffy. "Do you have a lot of friends to go see?" Makino had given them the basic rundown of Luffy's relationship with the villagers, but Sabo was interested in hearing it from Luffy's point of view.

"Everyone's friendly!" Luffy exclaimed, launching immediately into stories about all the people who had given him food or toys the last time he'd been in the village. When asked by Ace if there had been a special occasion involved, Luffy claimed there hadn't been, which had Sabo wondering what a special occasion might have entailed.

"You must have made out like a bandit on Children's Day," Sabo commented, voicing his thoughts once Luffy had finished.

Luffy smiled, a slight bounce in his step. "Everyone got lots of candy. That's a really good day!"

"And on your birthday too, I assume?" Sabo asked. He and Ace had never discussed or celebrated birthdays, but Luffy seemed used to things like that. He caught Ace's glance out of the corner of his eye and knew immediately that they'd be doing something for Luffy's birthday that year.

"I don't celebrate it," Luffy said bluntly, still smiling.

Ace nearly tripped. Sabo managed to keep his composure, but confusion knit his brows. "You don't celebrate your birthday?" he repeated.

"Well, Makino gives me meat, and sometimes Jiichan is there, but last time he tried to give me a special training session for a present…" Luffy shuddered and pulled his hat down over his eyes a little. "But my birthday is a really good day, so I don't mind!"

"If everyone in the village is so nice to you, why don't they celebrate it?" Ace asked, a slight grumble in his voice.

"Everyone's already celebrating," Luffy explained, unfazed by the tone of Ace's voice.

"Why?" Ace pressed, his brows furrowing like he wanted to scowl. Getting information out of Luffy was always an experience in itself.

"Because of Children's Day," Luffy said, as if it should have been an obvious answer.

Well, in retrospect, Sabo supposed it _was_ obvious, but only because it was _Luffy._ "Your birthday is May fifth?" Sabo asked, just to make sure.

"Yep!" Luffy turned to Sabo. "Everyone's always really happy on my birthday. It's great!"

"..." Sabo grabbed Luffy in a sideways hug, grinning again as they managed to keep walking without falling over. "Yeah, that is great, isn't it? We missed it this year, but next year, we'll have a party for you."

"A party for me?" Luffy echoed.

"Yeah," Sabo released him, but Luffy was still clinging, so he let a hand rest on Luffy's back instead. "We'll celebrate your birthday."

A blush spread over Luffy's cheeks, dusting the bridge of his nose, and an even bigger smile blossomed over his face. "I've only celebrated my birthday once," he admitted.

"Once?" Ace was watching them again, expression curious.

"Yeah, with Shanks and the guys," Luffy explained, letting go of Sabo so he could pull his hat down over his eyes again, his energy becoming a little giddy. "Makino said they insisted we have a party for just me. I got all the meat I wanted, and they taught me pirate songs and everything!"

"And that was the only time you had a party for your birthday?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, but it was the best ever! And since Jiichan wasn't home that time, Shanks let me sleep on his ship with everyone so I didn't have to be alone either," Luffy continued happily. "Makino was gonna stay with me, but Shanks didn't make me go to sleep on time, so it was more fun with Shanks."

There was a slight twinge at those words, but Sabo didn't let it linger. It wouldn't do any good thinking about the days before they'd met Luffy, and wondering how lonely he must have felt in situations like the one he'd just described. It made Sabo even more grateful that people like Makino and Shanks had been around.

"You won't be alone on your next birthday either," Ace reminded Luffy, clearly thinking along the same lines as Sabo. "So think of something you want, got it? And don't get carried away."

"Oh," Luffy paused abruptly, nearly tripping Sabo since they'd been walking so closely together.

"What is it?" Sabo questioned.

"What about you two?" Luffy asked. "Shouldn't we celebrate your birthdays too?"

"Birthdays are for kids," Ace answered automatically.

"You're a kid!" Luffy argued.

"I'm not a kid like you," Ace snapped.

"You're only ten! That's still a kid!"

"I don't celebrate my birthday."

"That's not fair!" Luffy stomped his foot, yelping when it rebounded a little, causing him to bounce forward.

"Luffy," Sabo interrupted. "Ace is right - we don't need to celebrate our birthdays. We'll just celebrate yours, okay? That's our decision as your big brothers."

Luffy scowled, frowning up at Sabo now, but unlike with Ace, he didn't argue. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, puffing out his cheeks and continuing down the path. Once he'd gotten a good enough lead, Sabo fell into step beside Ace.

"What was that all about, Ace?" Sabo asked quietly.

"Nothing," Ace muttered.

"That might work somewhat on Luffy, but you know it doesn't work on me. Tell me or I'm taking his side next time it comes up," Sabo warned.

"Threatening to team up?" Ace remarked dryly. He reached up to shove a hand through his unruly black hair, sighing. "I don't want to celebrate my birthday. And I'm not just saying that to look tough, Sabo."

"Then…?" Sabo pressed.

Ace's eyes focused on Luffy, following his every move for a few moments. He looked to the sky after next. "My mother died giving birth to me," he said, his voice so quiet Sabo almost didn't hear him. "I just don't feel like celebrating it. Luffy won't understand. He'll try to convince me we should and turn it into a happy memory or something, but you know why I don't want that right now."

"Ah," Sabo nodded, sympathy in his gaze. "I understand. I'll see what I can do to make sure he doesn't push the issue. Maybe after a few years, you'll change your mind."

"Maybe," Ace said doubtfully.

"For now we'll just keep telling him it's our decision as his big brothers to only celebrate his birthday," Sabo assured him. "Maybe Makino-san can give us some ideas about what to do for him."

"I can't believe Jiji left him alone on his birthday," Ace muttered, scowling now. "The one day you'd think he could try and show up for him."

"I'm sure he tried his best," Sabo said diplomatically.

They lapsed into silence after that, waiting for Luffy to get over his mood. It took longer than usual, but Luffy was back to his cheerful self after that, the argument seemingly forgotten.

It didn't take as long as Sabo had estimated for them to make their way to the foot of the mountain. When the village came into view, Ace put a hand on Luffy's shoulder to stop him from charging forward.

"Before we go over there," Ace said. "Don't tell everyone about us, alright?"

"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head to the side. "You didn't mind meeting Makino and the Mayor."

"They came to Dadan's," Ace pointed out. "And Jiji didn't seem bothered that they were there. He told me not to come to the village though. He didn't even tell you about me until you were coming to live with us, right?"

Luffy frowned, thinking about it for a moment before he nodded. "So?"

"So keep it a secret, okay?"

Sabo looked to Luffy next - he and Ace had discussed this when they'd agreed to let Luffy visit Makino - and nodded his agreement. "Remember how I ran away from home? If my father finds out I was here at the village, he might come looking. It's better if no one knows where I am either."

"We're going to walk with you to Makino's bar," Ace continued. "But we'll wait there while you visit everyone."

Luffy put his hands on his hips, mulling over their words with his heart on his sleeve, displeasure obvious. He clearly wanted to show off his big brothers - Sabo was _not_ going to lose control and hug him for that - and hadn't planned for not being able to do that.

"Understood?" Sabo asked.

"We'll be fine," Ace added. "And if you can keep it secret, we'll let you have extra meat for dinner tonight."

 _That_ got Luffy's attention, making him nod quickly. For a moment, Sabo had to admire that Ace had taken a page from his book of tricks with getting Luffy to listen.

"Okay," Luffy agreed finally. "You won't leave without me, right?"

"Idiot," Ace whacked him on the head. "You'd get lost in no time if we went back without you."

"I would not!" Luffy protested, sticking his tongue out.

"Even if you wouldn't," Sabo added. "We're not going to leave without you. Promise."

"Shishishi! Okay!" Luffy beamed at them, then turned and dashed off without a second glance.

"Jeez," Ace rolled his eyes. "Come on. We're looking for a place called Party's Bar, right?"

"Yeah, it's a small enough village so it shouldn't be hard to find," Sabo shifted, looking down at himself. "Do I look weird?"

"...Really, Sabo?" Ace shot him a sideways glance that made him squirm, feeling foolish.

The mountain was one thing, but it had been a very long time since he'd been out in public without wearing his trademark style or his hat. He was wearing the shorts Makino had given him, along with a comfortable blue t-shirt that had a single white stripe going across the chest. Luffy claimed to like him better in casual clothes like that because he looked like he 'belonged', but Sabo had a childhood of conditioning to contend with that ideal, and it told him he had to look is best if he was going to be seen in public. Even if he'd never really cared much how anyone thought he looked, his own view of his 'best' was his usual outfit.

"You look fine. And besides, if you wore your regular clothes, you'd stick out like a sore thumb around here."

Sabo looked at Ace gratefully, then cracked a small grin. "Let's catch up with him. Even if it's his home village, he could still find a way to get into trouble."

"Now you've made me nervous. Great," Ace joked dryly, taking off after Luffy.

* * *

The bar was mostly empty - Sabo supposed they had midday to thank for that - so it was easy to walk in without anyone giving them a second glance. Makino was standing with her back to the doors, cleaning glasses with a rag. At the sound of the swinging doors, she started to turn, and the nervousness fled Sabo's mind when her eyes found them and she lit up with a surprised smile.

"Ace-kun, Sabo-kun," she said in delight, putting the glass down. "Where's Luffy?"

"He didn't stop by?" Ace asked, immediately wary.

"I'm sure he got sidetracked by someone else he wanted to see," Sabo assured Ace, smiling at Makino. "It's been almost a week, and Luffy's been asking-"

"Bugging, whining, annoying-"

"-us if we could come visit," Sabo ignored Ace's interruption. "We had some free time today. Is it alright?"

"Of course, come in," Makino motioned to the bar stools, expression bright. "I wasn't expecting you all to come here."

They made their way to the stools to sit down, immediately noticing some of Luffy's doodles around the interior. Ace snorted, but Sabo grinned.

"We thought Luffy might want to visit after how happy he was to see you guys earlier," Sabo explained.

"You'd think he would have seemed happier about it on the way," Ace commented.

"He wasn't happy?" Makino questioned, tilting her head to the side. She placed a glass of juice in front of each of them, which Sabo quickly thanked her for. Ace followed suit, but only as an afterthought, since manners weren't exactly his strong point.

"We asked him if he was happy to visit home earlier, and he seemed confused or something," Sabo explained.

Makino laughed softly. "Of course that must have confused him. He's not visiting home now, is he?"

Sabo blinked. He opened his mouth, then shut it, laughing softly. "I just meant his home village - not where he actually _lived."_

"But this is Luffy we're talking about," Ace added, sounding amused. "Of course he took it literally."

"You'd think I'd know that by now," Sabo joked, shaking his head. "Well, that's a relief, at least."

"Do you mind if we hang out here while Luffy runs around?" Ace asked, leaning on the bar a little and making himself comfortable. "Jiji told me not to come to the village. We even asked Luffy not to tell anyone about us."

"I don't mind at all. Are you hungry?" Makino asked.

"We didn't bring any money," Sabo said apologetically. "But it's okay. We ate before we came here."

"Don't worry about it," Makino winked at them. "I'll put it on Luffy's treasure tab."

"You really think he's gonna be able to pay that back?" Ace asked, suspicion in his eyes.

"I believe he'll follow his dream," Makino said confidently. "I'm not in a hurry to collect."

"Well… if he's paying," Ace relented. "Your cooking was really good."

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to say that earlier, but… well," Sabo shrugged helplessly.

"Garp-san seemed to like you," Makino smiled at him. "He considers you his grandson if he's trying to train you to be a marine as well."

"Lucky me?" Sabo grimaced. It warmed him just a little, though he wasn't sure it was enough to offset the horror that was Garp's idea of 'training'.

"Your fault, you agreed to be our brother," Ace joked. "I should warn you now, he gets pissed if you call him Jiji instead of Jiichan."

Sabo rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't I just call him 'old man' or something?"

"You can try it. I don't recommend it," Ace said bluntly, looking to him with a serious expression that sent chills down Sabo's spine.

"Noted."

* * *

"So you live in a secret fort now?" Makino asked, leaning against the bar to look at them.

"Yeah, somewhere Jiji can't find us," Ace nodded. They really had eaten lunch before coming to the village, but there was no way either boy would actually pass up Makino's cooking if it was being offered. They'd cleaned their plates while Makino got a third started for when Luffy came by, and had passed the time by talking about the changes they'd made since Makino had visited.

"We built it in the tallest tree if you ever need to find us," Sabo added. "But be careful. We put a lot of traps up. Maybe wait a safe distance away and call out or something."

"I'll be careful," Makino promised. "So how is it, living on your own?"

"It's the best," Sabo immediately answered.

"Yeah, we don't have any chores to do, and we don't have to fight the others for food," Ace added. "We set our own schedule and our own rules."

"Most of the rules are for Luffy anyway," Sabo joked. "But it's easier to keep track of him now."

"Makino," Ace said after a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Makino nodded to him, leaning back on the counter behind her.

"Luffy said his birthday was Children's Day on the walk here. Other than the one time with the Red Hair Captain, did he ever celebrate his birthday, just for him?" Ace asked.

"Ah," Makino murmured in realization. "A few times when he was very young, but once Garp-san had to leave more often and Luffy started spending his time around the village, he started to see everyone celebrating. He understood that it wasn't just his day, and I think he handled it better than most children might. Once I explained to him what Children's Day was, he decided as long as everyone was having fun, it was fine to leave it for everyone."

She smiled fondly, a faraway look in her eyes for a moment, before she returned her gaze to the boys. "I still made sure to do something special just for him though. Neither of you should worry," she added when she saw their serious expressions. "Luffy wasn't unhappy about it. He genuinely enjoyed his birthdays, but his favorite was definitely the one with the Captain."

"Luffy said they taught him pirate songs and he got a lot of meat," Sabo recalled. "And that he got to sleep on the pirate ship."

"Yes," Makino nodded. "Do you know the song 'Bink's Sake'?"

"No," both boys said in unison.

"It's Luffy's favorite," Makino said with a warm smile. "I can teach it to you if you'd like?"

"Sure," Ace shrugged, looking to Sabo for confirmation that he wouldn't be learning a song by himself.

Sabo made him sweat it for a moment, giving an impish grin, before he turned to Makino and nodded. "Yes please."

* * *

"Makino!" The bundle of energy that could only be Luffy burst through the swinging doors, causing them to rattle a little. He looked like he'd been rolling around in the dirt, cheeks a little red. "Can I have some food?"

"Idiot," Ace said, jumping down off his stool. "What happened to you?"

"I was playing," Luffy answered, grinning proudly. "We were seeing how far my cheeks could stretch! The other kids said it was weird, but we had fun!"

"As long as you stayed away from the water," Sabo jumped down as well, walking over to try and dust Luffy off. Makino already had a plate of food ready for Luffy, finishing it up as he made his way to the bar. They'd chatted a little more after Makino had taught them the song, and had been on the verge of going to search for Luffy when he'd arrived.

They knew Luffy couldn't get into _too_ much trouble in the village, but past experience and big brother instinct indicated they needed to be ready for anything.

"I did, just like you told me," Luffy said proudly. He pulled himself up onto the stool with his stretchy arms, already drooling a little from the smell of the food.

"I thought you didn't like other people stretching you," Ace commented, studying one reddened cheek.

"I don't," Luffy shrugged. "But I haven't seen the other kids in a while and they really wanted to. It's okay just this once."

"Oh, Sabo-kun," Makino said, looking to the blond. "Would you like to come upstairs and pick some books to take back with you while Luffy eats?"

"I'd love to," Sabo smiled, nodding to Ace to keep an eye on Luffy. Not that Luffy would go anywhere with a plate of food in front of him.

"Oh, the Mayor said he wouldn't tell Jiichan we came to visit," Luffy explained to Ace. "And the baker said we could take some cookies with us, and -"

His voice trailed off as Makino led Sabo upstairs, with Sabo grinning like an idiot. "Everyone loves him everywhere he goes, huh?"

"They're probably indulging him a little more since he hasn't been around," Makino chuckled. "But it's hard not to love him, isn't it?"

"It comes so naturally to him…" Sabo trailed off. Makino nodded in silent agreement, leading him into her home. It was much tidier than anything on the mountain, but not as pristine or eerily organized as the homes in High Town were. There was a rustic looking bookshelf against the wall, clearly a little worn, but it was piled high with all kinds of books.

"I read a lot during the day, after I finish prepping and cleaning the bar," Makino explained, motioning to the shelf. "The books I used with Luffy are on the bottom shelf, and if you see anything else you want to borrow, please feel free. A lot of the books are fiction though."

"I like fiction," Sabo told her, heading over to the shelf to look at her collection of books. "My parents never really let me read it though… I mean, they thought it was a waste of time."

"A lot of people make that mistake," Makino shook her head. "Please, if you see anything that interests you, by all means. Although you might want to avoid the top two shelves," Makino added with a light giggle. "Those are romance novels."

Sabo made a face. "Definitely more for girls. Ah, no offense."

"None taken. I am a girl, you know," Makino teased. "Luffy used to say the same thing to me all the time. Sorry to say, I don't have any books on robots. Although I do have books on dragons."

"You do?" Sabo whirled around so fast he nearly tripped, heat rising on his cheeks for his excited reaction. He tried to play it off and look nonchalant the way Ace was always doing, but it clearly didn't work very well for him.

Makino came over and selected a couple books off a higher shelf, including one with an embossed leather spine. "Here," she told him. "Try these."

"Thanks," Sabo hugged the books to his chest sheepishly, eyes darting back to the shelf.

"The traders that come through always have the most interesting books for sale," Makino explained, selecting a cloth bag for him. She put a few things inside, then set it near his feet. "I'll keep an eye out for anything you might like. Go ahead and put the books you want to take in that bag. I put in a few empty journals and supplies for writing lessons that I set aside after my visit. I'd better go and make sure Luffy hasn't climbed over the bar again to find more food, though. Last time, he almost fell in a barrel of alcohol."

"Thank you, Makino-san," Sabo said brightly, giving her the biggest smile he could. She put both hands on her cheeks and smiled back, looking charmed, before heading back out of the room.

He immediately turned his focus back to the bookshelf, selecting a few books that would help with teaching Luffy, and one he thought might be better for Ace. He selected one more book for himself, making sure the bag wasn't overstuffed, then shouldered it with a satisfied look. Even the books were different in a place like Windmill Village. They weren't shiny and glossy with overdone aesthetics to look good on a shelf. The rustic charm and the creases in the spines showed that these books were actually read on a regular basis, and used for more than decoration.

His own parents probably had twice as many books in their study, but he doubted any of them had been opened in years. The idea in High Town was to display books to advertise an education, not to actually read them. Full collections were proudly lined up and regularly dusted as a status symbol.

Makino's library was a thousand times better in his opinion, and he vowed to make sure he returned her books to her without ruining or losing anything.

* * *

"Today was so much fun!" Luffy was still bouncing, even though he'd been at it ever since they'd left Makino's bar. Sabo was beginning to expect more than one villager had given Luffy candy. The enthusiastic boy had a bag similar to Sabo's, but the smells coming from it were not that of paper and ink. It smelled like fresh cookies, which made sense since Sabo recalled hearing Luffy talking about a baker giving him treats.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Sabo told him. It was already starting to get dark, and they needed to hurry back if they were going to catch anything for dinner. Makino had made sure to give them more food before they'd left, but it wouldn't be enough to placate Luffy. They'd also promised him extra meat, and he'd proudly proclaimed to them before they'd left the bar that he'd kept the secret. "Ace and I had fun too."

"We can have cookies after we have meat," Luffy added, putting his hands on his cheeks and trying to hold back his drool. "Everyone was really happy to see me so I got lots of extra treats for us! Ne, Sabo, what's in your bag?"

"Makino-san loaned me some books too, so we can start lessons soon," Sabo said, smiling at Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Lovely," Ace rolled his eyes, but he clearly wasn't planning on backing out of the lessons he'd agreed to.

"As long as you didn't get any of her girly books," Luffy looked at Sabo solemnly. "I don't wanna learn about those."

Sabo laughed. "Makino-san said the same thing. Don't worry, Luffy. I didn't get any girly books."

"Good," Luffy nodded with satisfaction. "Ne, Sabo, Ace, can we visit again soon?"

"We can't go there all the time, Luffy," Ace answered, keeping his pace. "Jiji will find out if we do, and he might make us go back to Dadan's."

"Aw," Luffy pouted, slumping. "I wish I could've told everyone about you guys."

"Someday you can," Sabo promised. "When we're pirates and we don't have to follow anyone else's rules, we'll never have to keep it secret again."

"Promise?" Luffy beamed up at him.

"Promise," Sabo reached out to knock his hat back, tousling his hair. "Now if you want extra meat, we have to hurry up so we can hunt."

"Yosh!" Luffy agreed, picking up his pace so he was right beside Ace. Sabo joined, although as they kept going, Luffy started to lag behind like always.

"When are we fitting in these lessons?" Ace asked, startling Sabo from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh," Sabo scratched his head, shifting his shoulder to move his bag comfortably. "I'm not sure yet. We probably won't get Luffy to focus on them every day, but if we do it at least two or three times a week, that should be enough. Maybe we could fit it in after our fights."

"I guess, as long as it doesn't interfere," Ace didn't look very enthusiastic at the prospect, but Sabo couldn't blame him either. Ace was by no means slow or stupid. He caught on quickly enough, and when he applied himself, he was actually quite a fast learner. Still, learning proper grammar, punctuation, which words to use in which instances, and perfecting his handwriting were not things Ace considered to be as important as honing his skills in a fight. Their lifestyle didn't require those lessons, but if they were going to break free and sail the world, they'd need to be able to read newspapers at the very least. Sabo doubted Luffy would even try to navigate a ship, but even so, he wanted his little brother to be able to read the map if necessary.

"It won't," Sabo promised. "Besides, we're only going over the basics. It's not like I'm going to be quizzing you guys and withholding meals if you get answers wrong."

"...Did your parents ever do that?" Ace questioned, shooting him a concerned look.

"A few times, but the food in High Town didn't taste very good anyway," Sabo answered easily. It was true that the food in High Town had been much more decadent than the food in the mountains, but plain water and bread still tasted like a feast for kings when he ate it alongside his brothers.

A nagging thought had him stopping in his tracks, turning around.

"What is it?" he heard Ace asking, but his mind only vaguely recognized the question.

He'd just made a comment about withholding meals, and acknowledged his parents had done the same to him, and yet there was no outcry of dismay or indignation. There wasn't a single sound or flailing of arms.

Luffy wasn't behind them anymore. As far as Sabo could see, he wasn't on the path, and while it wasn't dark enough that he wouldn't be able to find his way back _to_ the path yet, it would be soon.

"...Where the hell is Luffy?" Ace voiced the thought Sabo was struggling with.

He turned to his dark-haired brother, meeting his worried gaze with one of his own. "I have no idea how far back he stopped following us."

"LUFFY!" Ace shouted, cupping both hands at his mouth to help his voice carry.

They were met with silence and the usual sounds of the forest, and that only worsened Sabo's dread. Luffy was either far enough away - already? - that he hadn't actually heard Ace, or for some reason, likely a bad one, he couldn't answer back. Adrenaline kicked in automatically, urging him to start moving and find his little brother.

"Split up," Sabo said immediately, looking back down the path. "I'll take the left side and go further down the path, you go right."

"Shout if you find him," was all the coordination Ace gave before the freckled boy was darting through the trees and calling Luffy's name again.

With a secure grip on Makino's bag, Sabo took off running down the path, looking for any sign to indicate where Luffy could have gone, or if anyone else had been involved. It had only felt like seconds since the last time they'd interacted with their brother, but sometimes that was all it took for a situation to completely change. Porchemy had been the one to teach them that lesson, and while he doubted the pirates would have followed them all this way, he couldn't actually rule out the possibility. Bluejam was still angry with them, after all.

"LUFFY!" Sabo called, catching sight of a familiar landmark - a tree that had grown partially around a rock - and remembering passing it while actually talking to Luffy. Since it didn't seem like there was anyone else on the path and it was the last place he could visually recall seeing Luffy, he veered off to the left and began cutting through the trees, wishing the sun would stay up just a little longer. There were countless dangers in the forest, and while it wasn't much of a threat when they were together or in an open area like the official path, Luffy on his own and unable to see clearly could land himself in all sorts of danger. The only calming thought was that it likely _wasn't_ pirates or any outside influence that had taken Luffy from their side.

That assurance aside, Sabo's biggest concern was Luffy falling into a ravine or being set upon by the snakes they'd seen frequenting this side of the mountain. He might not get hurt by a fall, but he could get stuck or land in water, and rubber didn't do him any good against a venomous bite.

In the distance, he could hear Ace's voice, but it was only echoes of the same frantic shout of Luffy's name. They both knew Luffy was stronger than an average kid, and they both knew he'd survived some pretty harsh conditions at Garp's hand and Ace's, but he was their little brother now, and the idea of leaving him to completely fend for himself was unacceptable. They'd been in a good mood just minutes earlier, laughing and talking about how fun the day had been, and to think that it could completely change in the blink of an eye was very sobering and downright _terrifying_ reality.

"LUFFY!" Sabo shouted again, adrenaline coursing through his body as he tried to fight back his worry. He strained to listen for an answer, but he could barely hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

* * *

 **A/N: My first cliffhanger for Kyoudai! *wipes a tear away* I can't believe it took me this long to put one in.**

 **Pleasebegentle,I'lltellyouwhereLuffyisnextweek! On that note, hope you enjoyed, and thank you so much everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed. I might not have had a chance to reply to everyone, but I appreciated every single one of you, especially in this sucky time of my life :)**

 **~Mithril**


	8. Scared

**A/N: Kyah! So, I actually got chapter 8 written in advance (I couldn't continue the trend with chapter 9 xD I was completely waylaid by my other stories and a bunch of life stuff) and lovingly beta'd by the always wonderful Beyond Kailani. If you haven't checked out her stories, please don't forget to do that, as her ASL is wonderful.**

 **I'm sorry about the cliffhanger lol! But I won't be doing it often in Kyoudai, I promise.**

 **If anyone's curious about my update schedule or stories in the works, feel free to poke my profile page; I put some stuff there about my stories in the works, including the new one I'm posting on Fridays :3**

 **Dedicated to my sun, moon, and stars, Ascaisil :D**

* * *

 _Chapter 8: Scared_

* * *

Everything was blurry.

That was the first thought to enter Luffy's mind as his eyes fluttered open, followed by the observation that his mouth tasted a little like mud. It took him several moments to blink himself back into awareness, trying to figure out where he was and how he'd gotten there.

His chest felt a little too tight. It was hard to breathe in, but if he did it slowly, he could get little gulps of air that alleviated some of the ache. The next thing he noticed was that he couldn't move an inch, not to turn his head or bring his hands up to push at the weight on his chest. His cheek felt damp, but the liquid was thick and sticky, and the coppery tang in the air told him it was blood.

A voice broke through his confusion, sending a rush of relief through his sore and compressed body. He could hear Ace shouting his name, which meant soon he'd be back with his brothers and Sabo would make whatever was hurting him go away with a mystery medicine.

He opened his mouth to respond, only to wheeze, his voice coming out in a tiny croak. He tried again, but the second time left him breathless, and the small gulps of air that had helped the ache in his chest earlier were not enough this time. Panic set in as the sensation of not being able to breathe overrode everything else.

That was when he fully realized his surroundings. He was stretched thin - literally - between what felt like a hard rock cliff at his back and a muddy wall at his front. There was just enough moisture in the dirt to make him feel a little sluggish without draining him completely, and when he tried to suck his stomach in a little to alleviate the pressure, he slid farther down and found himself pinned all over again. He was in a crevice, a small enough space that when walking he wouldn't even bother to fully step over it. Somehow, his body had gotten stretched and crammed into the tiny space, leaving him completely trapped.

Breathing got even harder then, and tears immediately stung his eyes as fresh panic struck. He could handle being flattened and hit with blunt objects, but even if his body was rubber, he still had to be able to breathe. Not being able to expand at all could very well kill him, and he wasn't ready to die.

His next worry was for his hat, but he didn't feel the straw being crushed against the back of his neck, so either it had fallen further in, or it hadn't fallen in with him at all. Both thoughts did nothing to help his panic.

How had he gotten into such a situation, anyway? The last thing he remembered was hearing Ace and Sabo talking about lessons, and then he'd spotted what he'd thought had been a golden beetle. He remembered closing in to catch it, tripping over a vine that had tangled over the branch he'd tried to jump, and then…

Ace's voice cut through his panic again, and the reassuring feeling from simply hearing it helped him stop gasping so he could try and take stock of his situation. His face was angled down, left arm tangled and a little twisted below him. His right arm was caught on something and stretched upwards, but he couldn't retract it or stretch it further. He didn't even know how far away the top of the crevice was, just that he was completely stuck and the moisture from the dirt had salt in it.

Just as his panic started to wane, allowing him to focus on breathing again, Ace's voice got farther away. A dry sob choked him before he could take another breath, and he tried desperately to turn his head, managing to twist so he could look up. The sun had already disappeared behind the trees, and while it was still twilight, he couldn't see very well. It didn't help that the crevice he was stuck in was obviously too small for one of his brothers to reach into. If he couldn't find a way to make his voice louder, there was a chance they wouldn't even see the crack in the ground to begin with.

"A...ce…" his voice came out in a pathetic croak. The blood on his face was starting to drip past his ear from his new position, but if it was hitting the ground anywhere, he couldn't hear it. What if the crevice was so deep it went straight through to the other side of the world? It would take Ace and Sabo _forever_ to find him if that happened. He tried to angle his foot to get some leverage, but his sandals slipped and scraped against the rocks.

He grit his teeth, holding his breath for a moment as he tried a little harder to get at least one foot in place, but when he lost his footing, his entire body slipped another few inches and caught again, making him gasp in pain, losing what little breath he had. His right hand, which he'd been trying to use to grasp the rocks, scraped and slid as well, fresh cuts littering his palm. It had been difficult to move his arm before, but the new position made it almost impossible.

Another strangled sound of panic escaped. He had to calm himself down, but it was difficult when thoughts of travelling through the entire world in that uncomfortable crevice or suffocating in the same spot or _worse,_ starving to death without his brothers finding him assaulted his mind. He was _scared._

"Sa…" He was sure he'd formed the whole name, but barely any sound came out. It was frustrating and disappointing, but he couldn't figure out to make himself louder. Breathing was still too difficult.

It was quiet after that, except Luffy could still hear the small, scared sounds escaping him every time he managed to catch his breath. If only his brothers could hear it too.

He wasn't used to staying stretched out, and it was starting to make his body sore. Sabo had told him it had to do with the fact that stretching rubber out would strain it if he went too long without retracting, but Luffy still wasn't sure exactly what that meant or why. All he really understood was that if he used his ability to stretch or flatten himself for too long, it started to get uncomfortable.

This was the first time it had truly _hurt,_ and that scared him too.

It felt like forever passed - he'd even counted slowly in his head, to be sure - before he heard one of his brothers again. It was Ace, and his voice held a frantic note in it that made Luffy's stomach churn with discomfort. He hated making his brothers worry. Sometimes, he felt like that was all he did.

He strained to listen first, wanting to wait until he thought Ace might be close enough before he tried to call out again.

"LUFFY!"

Ace sounded closer this time, which made fresh tears of relief well up in Luffy's eyes. If he just came a little closer…

"Ace, his hat!"

Another rush of relief. Sabo's voice _and_ they'd found his hat. That meant his hat was okay and they'd be looking for him near wherever it had fallen off. They'd find him in no time at all, and then he'd be rescued and reassured and maybe even carried on the ride back home since he was sore.

"His bag too," Ace's voice was almost too quiet to hear, but before Luffy could panic, thinking they'd started to leave, Sabo's voice got even _closer._

"He must have fallen from the cliff up there. Go get his hat, I'll look around to see if he rolled or something. He couldn't have gone far."

"If he's not dead when we find him, I'm going to kill him," Ace answered, his voice a little less frantic.

Luffy smiled when he heard Ace's tone going back to normal, but then the words registered and he frowned. "Don't do _that,"_ he wanted to scold Ace, but the words were little more than a choked gasp.

 _Ace, Sabo,_ Luffy thought as he strained to see better, looking for any sign of his brothers getting closer.

"Anything yet?" Ace's voice, and it was starting to sound worried again.

 _Damn it!_ Luffy grit his teeth. "A…" If possible, he sounded even _more_ pathetic this time, and it drove his frustration over the edge.

"We have to be missing something," Sabo's voice was urgent, but when Sabo started talking urgently, it meant he was really worried too. If his chest hadn't already hurt so much from not being able to breathe, it would have hurt even more at the knowledge that he was worrying _both_ his brothers so badly.

"Should we go farther down the mountain?" Ace asked in frustration.

"No," Luffy tried to choke out, only forming the 'n' sound before it cut off.

"Wait," Sabo's voice cut through the night, as if he'd figured it out. He always figured everything out, and that had Luffy feeling hopeful again.

"What are we waiting _for?"_ Ace pressed impatiently.

"His hat was up there. If he fell, he might have bounced, but he wouldn't have rolled that far away. Most likely, he would have been flattened for a little while and not moved at _all."_

"So? How does this help us find him?"

"So the food he brought with him was here and untouched. I don't think a predator carried him off. He has meat in here too."

"And? Get to the point, Sabo!"

Luffy would have nodded his agreement if he could. He wasn't sure what Sabo was explaining, but as long as it led to Sabo finding him, he could wait.

"The point is, he shouldn't be farther than that tree over there. He should be right here."

"Then where the hell is he?"

This was the best chance he was going to get. They weren't leaving, and if he could just make himself loud enough to be _heard,_ Sabo would figure it out and find him!

"S… Sa…" The urge to cough nearly sent him into another panic. He didn't have that much air to spare, and if he started coughing, he'd probably end up choking on the dirt pressing into his cheek.

"Ace, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Shut up for a second," Sabo ordered, and it was so uncharacteristic of his usual 'be quiet' that even Luffy obeyed.

Then Luffy remembered he was the one they were trying to hear, and started making any noise he could, just to get his voice to escape the crevice.

"Bloody hell!"

"What?!" Ace demanded.

Sabo didn't answer Ace, but Luffy didn't care, because it only took a few moments before Sabo's face became visible in the dim light of the setting sun. His eyes were wide, mouth agape, but he was looking down at Luffy and he _saw him,_ and Luffy had never felt more relieved than he did in that moment. Except maybe for that one time when Sabo and Ace had crashed through a wall to save him from Porchemy, but this time still felt better.

"LUFFY!" Sabo cried.

Ace became visible next, practically shoving Sabo's aside to get a better look at him. "LUFFY!" he echoed Sabo, but his voice was definitely the more frantic of the two.

Luffy wanted to answer them, but he was already gasping again, struggling just to get a full breath. He was starting to feel dizzy. Since he couldn't say anything to reassure them, he did the next best thing, giving a wide smile. At least he hoped it was wide, and a smile. His face felt really squished and he wasn't even sure what his expression looked like.

"Luffy, don't panic," Sabo was calming down first, but the frantic look on his face wasn't dimmed by the smile. Maybe he wasn't smiling at all? They both looked far too worried when everything was going to be okay. They'd found him, after all. So what was wrong? He tried to smile a little harder, but his cheeks wouldn't budge.

"How the hell are we going to reach him?" Ace's voice was a hushed whisper, but Luffy heard it. His smile faded then, and he looked to them both with wide eyes.

They couldn't reach him? While he'd known the opening was too small for them to really reach in, it hadn't occurred to him that they might not have _any_ way to get to him. Especially now that he had a clear view of how far away they were. If one of them had his ability, it would have been simple, but they weren't rubber like he was. They couldn't stretch to get to him.

"We don't have any rope," Sabo's face vanished for a moment. Luffy was pretty sure he was only looking for something to use in place of a rope, but the absence of his face still brought a jolt of panic back to Luffy.

He gasped again. The crevice felt like it was getting smaller, pressing in on his back and chest. He couldn't catch his breath at all.

"Sabo, what's wrong with him?!" Ace's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater, muddled and slightly distorted.

He was pretty sure he heard Sabo swearing again, but he couldn't make out the exact words. It wasn't until Sabo's face reappeared and he heard his name being called in a soothing tone that he managed to focus, until Sabo's voice sounded normal and he could see Sabo's relieved and smiling face again.

"Focus on my voice, Luffy," Sabo encouraged. "You're doing good. Just relax, and don't try to take deep breaths right now. We're right here, okay? Ace and I aren't going anywhere, and we'll have you out of there in no time."

Luffy closed his eyes for a moment. He was right of course. His brothers weren't going to leave him there or let the ground take him away. Who did the ground think it was, trying to go up against his strong big brothers? They'd win every time.

"I know it hurts," Sabo continued, which had Luffy opening his eyes again. "You're being incredibly brave, and strong right now, and we just need you to continue for a little longer while we figure out how to get you out."

Luffy forced a weak smile to let Sabo know he understood and he'd do his best, since he couldn't vocally acknowledge the words, and Sabo's return smile alleviated more of his stress.

"He's slipping, that's why he can't breathe," Sabo had turned to Ace, explaining very quietly, though Luffy could still hear them. "Every time he exhales, he runs the risk of slipping further because of his ability, and he can't expand to inhale. He's in danger of suffocating if he panics."

"So how are we getting him out of there?" Ace demanded, sounding more frantic than ever.

Luffy desperately wanted to know the answer too, but he had complete faith that Sabo would think of something. Still, it would help if he could hear the plan.

"We don't have time to go get a rope. Besides, I think he'll panic if he loses sight of us."

"What about one of the vines off that tree?"

"Too risky, Ace. If we started pulling him up and it snapped, he might go even further from the recoil, and he's already stretched really thin."

"Well I can barely get my arm in there, and I have to force it past the elbow. We're never going to reach him without some help."

"Sa…" Luffy tried to get his attention, determination in his eyes, "bo…!"

Sabo tore his gaze from Ace and immediately gave Luffy his full attention. "What is it, Luffy?"

Luffy held his gaze, hoping he looked as determined as he felt, because he was _not_ scared and he would not _tell_ them he was scared, then began wiggling the fingers on his right hand. His left, while trapped below him with his palm pressed against dirt, was basically useless. His right was angled towards the firmer rocks pressing against his back, and he could feel actual pieces protruding for him to grab onto.

Sabo's breath hitched. He understood what Luffy was trying to do.

"Be careful," Sabo whispered, pressing himself closer to the ground. "Don't try to move too fast, okay?"

Ace didn't seem as sure, but he pressed closer as well, getting as much of his face visible in the small crack in the ground as he could. "We're not going anywhere, Luffy. Even if we have to tear this whole mountain apart, we're not letting you get away from us."

Luffy had to smile again at their words, encouraged and emboldened. His fingers scraped over rock and dirt, but the brief sting in his fingertips was nothing when he thought about the hugs he was going to get as soon as he reached his brothers.

The strain on his arm was uncomfortable, but much like the stinging in his fingers, he could endure it. After all, he was being brave, and strong.

His hand faltered at the next rock when he didn't feel anything close to it. Keeping his arm extended was really difficult, and without something to hold, it felt like it might snap back.

"A little higher, on your left," Sabo encouraged.

Luffy couldn't twist his face to look at his hand, but he met Sabo's eyes, and he trusted Sabo without question. His fingers inched a little bit higher, blindly feeling towards his left, and when his fingers scraped against another solid piece to grasp, he curled his fingers around it and pulled his arm tighter.

"Keep guiding him," Ace whispered to Sabo. It was a good idea; Sabo sounded calm and he could see the rocks better than Luffy could. Sabo was the patient one.

"Ssh," Sabo whispered back. "Okay Luffy, just keep going slowly. Don't try to rush it. There's another good place to grasp right above that one. Slow and steady."

Luffy grit his teeth, stretching his arm to reach the next piece like Sabo was directing. Concentrating made him forget to focus on breathing, and he started to feel winded immediately.

"Take a break if you need to," Sabo said quickly. "Just don't panic. You'll be up here in no time."

"Shouldn't he just hurry and get his arm closer?" Ace asked, turning his face slightly to look at Sabo.

"No Ace, if he rushes he might forget to breathe, and if he slips…" Sabo didn't finish his thought, and Luffy was happy about that. He didn't want to know how bad it could be if he slipped.

When he finally got his breathing under control, Luffy started moving his hand again, following Sabo's directions without question. Even when he couldn't immediately feel the next rock, he kept pressing with Sabo's gentle encouragement until he found it, never once questioning if he was going the right way or if Sabo was wrong about where he should be reaching.

"Almost there," Sabo's voice trembled now, and Luffy could tell he was starting to get excited. "I have to move out of your sight a little, but keep listening to my voice, okay?"

Luffy didn't like the idea of not being able to see him, but he smiled again to show he wasn't scared. Then Sabo was gone, and in his place was Ace's hand, his freckled brother shoving his arm into the opening without voicing any discomfort.

"Just a little bit more to the left, there's going to be another rock," Sabo continued. "It's the last good one to grab onto, but Ace's hand is above it. You have to reach as far as you can, okay?"

Ace's hand? That was better than a rock any day. Luffy closed his eyes tightly since he couldn't see their faces anymore anyway, blocking out the tightness in his chest and the throbbing pain in his head. He felt the rock Sabo was talking about, and he knew Ace had to be reaching for him right above it.

He stretched his hand, but his fingers met nothing. They scraped uselessly against the crevice wall, and for one jolting, agonizing moment, he was scared he wouldn't be able to stretch far enough, and all of his brothers' hard work to get him out would be ruined.

"Almost there," Sabo said again, and it sounded almost like he wanted to cry. "Just a little bit more, Luffy! Ace almost has you!"

His arm felt stretched to the absolute limit, more than any attack or rebounded pistol or even the farthest rocket he'd attempted. He didn't feel like he could possibly go any farther when his fingers suddenly brushed Ace's. The jolt that raced through his hand at the feeling of warm skin, fingers desperately grasping at his own, gave him one last burst of strength. His wrist extended what felt like miles but was probably less than an inch, and he felt Ace's hand wrapping around his.

The pain that jolted his arm was almost unbearable as Ace began to pull, tugging the rest of his body through the crack. It was slow, agonizing, and the rocks bit into his flesh while his limbs started to force retraction. Every time he started to feel relief from more space, his body would expand and catch again.

A second hand joined the first, grasping at his wrist as Ace completely vanished from view, and then a second set of hands was wrapping around his forearm as they kept pulling.

At long last, his entire body popped out of the crevice and expanded to his normal shape. He barreled right into both brothers, knocking them over and landing on them with a wheezing gasp that might have been an attempt at their names but instead sounded like a gurgled sob.

He found himself completely encased in their arms after that, both of his older brothers shaking and clutching him almost as tightly as the crevice had, but he welcomed this pressure, large tears welling up and rolling down his cheeks.

"I wasn't scared!" he tried to explain, still gasping for breath and clumsily grasping at both of his brothers.

"Well I was," Sabo whispered, burying his face against Luffy's hair. "Are you okay? Just slow down and breathe."

"You moron," Ace's voice was harsh again, but Luffy knew that was the way he sounded when he was relieved. He'd really worried them both, and that was the only thing that truly hurt.

"I'm sorry," Luffy tried to sound sincere, but it came out as more of a shaky wail because of how hard he was crying.

"Well you should be! What did we say about wandering off? This is exactly why we can't trust you to listen!" Ace's words made the tears come faster.

"Ace," Sabo snapped, and his voice was harsher than Luffy remembered ever hearing it.

"What? It's true. He wouldn't have been in this position if he'd just stayed with us!"

"That's not important right now!" Sabo argued. "Don't yell at him!"

Ace abruptly let go of him and pushed himself to his feet, making Luffy look at him in alarm. "Whatever. You deal with him then."

He didn't give his brothers time to argue before he was picking up their bags and rushing from the spot, heading back to their new home.

"Ace!" Luffy cried, reaching as if to catch his shirt. His arm felt like jelly though, falling back to his side uselessly as his older brother disappeared into the trees.

Sabo grit his teeth so hard Luffy heard the sound. Then the blond was looking down at Luffy, wiping gently at his little brother's tears. "Don't worry about Ace," he said, and while his tone was meant to be soothing, Luffy could tell he was angry. "He's just really worried. You scared us both."

"I-I'm sorry," Luffy apologized again, feeling terrible.

"It's okay Luffy, don't apologize right now," Sabo smiled down at him, pulling him into a tighter hug with just the two of them and tucking Luffy's head under his chin. Luffy took a deep breath, breathing in his older brother's scent and letting it relax him. "We'll go home soon, and I'll take care of your wounds. Then we'll find something to eat, and you won't have to think about this anymore, okay?"

Luffy could only nod in response, wrapping his arms around Sabo as tightly as he could and completely burying his face against Sabo's shoulder. He couldn't deny how happy he felt to be safe and secure in his brother's arms, but his heart still clenched at the idea that Ace didn't trust him.

"Luffy, don't think about what he said. He didn't mean it," Sabo promised softly, as if reading his thoughts. "We were really scared when we couldn't find you. Just wait until he calms down, and then you can apologize for wandering off."

"Nng…" Luffy struggled to hold back his sniffles, but Sabo's words took the pain in his heart away. Sabo was always right. "O-okay, Sabo."

"That's my otouto," Sabo chuckled, even if his laughter sounded a little forced. The affectionate tone still warmed Luffy and brought fresh tears to his eyes, and when he felt Sabo press a kiss to the top of his head, he hugged him even tighter. Sabo always showed the most affection, but getting kisses to his head like that were still rare.

After a little while longer, Sabo gently pulled back, extracting himself from Luffy's arms and studying the side of his face where the blood was dripping. "It doesn't seem that deep. Good. Let's go back now."

"Okay," Luffy nodded, sucking in his lower lip. "It doesn't hurt at all," he claimed, giving his best 'believe me' face.

Sabo smiled down at him, shaking his head with a soft laugh that didn't sound forced at all. "Here, I'll carry you," he said, turning around and remaining kneeling. "Can you climb on?"

Luffy pushed himself to his feet, his legs wobbling under his weight and making him stumble. He barely had the energy to flop onto Sabo's back, draping his arms over Sabo's shoulders and wrapping them around his neck. "Thanks, Sabo."

"Anything for my little brother," Sabo answered, before carefully standing up.

Luffy closed his eyes while they headed back up the path, briefly glancing at the area he'd wound up in. He remembered tripping and rolling off the cliff now, and he tensed. "My hat-"

"Ace has it," Sabo promised immediately.

"Oh, good," Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. He hugged Sabo a little tighter. "Sabo…?"

"Hm?" Sabo turned his head a little, just enough to look at Luffy's face over his shoulder.

Luffy chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then lowered his voice in case Ace was still nearby. "I really was scared," he admitted softly. "But I didn't want Ace to know I was scared. He hates crybabies and weaklings, and I didn't want him to think I was being a weakling!"

"Oh, Luffy," Sabo paused in walking for a moment, then shook his head and continued. "Don't worry, Ace could never hate you. Neither could I. You're our little brother, remember? It's our job to look out for you."

"But Ace is always yelling at me," Luffy whispered, voice wavering. "And he always gets really, _really_ mad when I make him worry…"

"Luffy, let me ask you something."

"Huh?" Luffy braced himself, because sometimes Sabo's questions were difficult to answer, and he wanted to make sure he got it right.

"Do you like Ace?"

"Yes!" Luffy insisted immediately, gripping Sabo a bit tighter. "He's my big brother! He's Ace! Of course I like him."

"And you like me, right?"

"Of course I do! You're also my big brother, and you're Sabo!"

"If you could change one thing about either of us, what would it be?" Sabo questioned.

Luffy frowned, chewing on his lip again. He thought about all of the things that made his brothers who they were, the parts that made him mad, and the times they'd argued before. He opened his mouth to say he wished Ace would be nicer or that Sabo would include him more, but the words died in his throat. He loved his brothers the way they were, and he wasn't sure if they'd be the same brothers if anything about them changed, no matter how little a change it might be. "I don't want to change anything," he said finally. "I love my brothers the way they are."

Sabo smiled over his shoulder, looking pleased. "We feel the same way about you. Even when you worry us or drive us crazy, that's all part of what makes you _you,_ and we love you the way you are," Sabo said with certainty. "Ace might get mad and yell, but that just means he cares. What's worse than yelling and arguing?"

Luffy sagged a little, overjoyed that he'd gotten the answer right, and he furrowed his brow as he tried to get the next answer too. He gave it a lot of thought as the sun set and the path darkened even more.

"Being ignored," he answered finally.

"Indifference," Sabo agreed. "And you're right. If Ace completely ignored you, that would mean he didn't care at all."

Luffy rubbed one hand over his eyes at the thought, remembering what it had been like when he'd first arrived on the mountain and Ace had wanted nothing to do with him.

"But it wouldn't hurt to be a little more careful," Sabo added. "Why didn't you tell us you were wandering off?"

"I thought I saw a gold beetle," Luffy admitted, sounding small. "You and Ace were busy talking."

"It's better to wait until we're done, or if you really can't wait, interrupt us," Sabo told him in that stern tone Luffy recognized as the one that meant Sabo wanted him to listen carefully.

"Okay," Luffy agreed, closing his eyes and relaxing on Sabo's back. "Thank you for finding me."

"It's our job as your big brothers," Sabo answered. "So if anything like this happens again, you don't have to be scared. You just have to be patient."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, smiling. He started to drift off a little, but he had to wake up when it was time to climb into their treehouse.

Sabo helped him the entire way up because his arms and legs were still really sore, but once they were inside, he was allowed to flop on his mat and not move while Sabo bandaged him up.

Their bags were already there, along with Luffy's hat, but there was no sign of Ace. Even after the talk with Sabo, Luffy still couldn't shake the sinking feeling that Ace was really mad at him.

It wasn't until after all of Luffy's cuts and scrapes were carefully bandaged and the younger boy was no longer covered in grime and blood that Sabo sat up straight and looked around.

"Sabo?" Luffy asked

"I'm just going to go grab Ace," Sabo promised. "Can you please wait here for me?"

"I wanna go too," Luffy said immediately, pushing himself up a little.

Sabo put his hands on Luffy's shoulders, gently pushing him back down to sit on his mat. "Luffy, please wait here, okay? You have some cookies to eat, right? Have a few of those, and we'll both be back in no time at all."

Luffy gave Sabo his best skeptical look, communicating his displeasure with a severe pout, but he sagged a moment later, puffing his cheeks out. "You'd better be back soon," he relented.

Sabo chuckled, tousling his hair. "You can time me if you want."

"I will," Luffy challenged. "I'll start counting right now."

"I better hurry, then!" Sabo jumped to his feet, grinning wide and then heading over to the exit.

Luffy kept his cheeks puffed out as he started counting, and he didn't let his cheeks go back to normal until Sabo disappeared from sight. He grabbed his hat first, putting it on his head before he opened his bag and found the cookies, forced to eat them slowly so he could keep counting out loud.

* * *

"Oi, Luffy. Get up."

Luffy stirred, blinking slowly at the sound of Ace's voice. "Six hundred twenty-two," he answered groggily.

"You kept counting longer than I thought you would," Sabo sounded amused.

The words jolted him, making him sit up abruptly. "Ah! I lost count!"

"We were gone a little over ten minutes, I think, so you only fell asleep halfway through," Sabo promised.

Luffy pouted, only to tense when he realized Ace was really back and sitting near him. He looked over immediately. "Ace-"

"Don't apologize," Ace cut him off. "Just be more careful next time."

He shot Luffy a stern look that made Luffy's lower lip tremble, but it melted into a softer look moments later. Then Ace was moving closer, wrapping an arm around Luffy's small shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug.

"You worried the hell out of me," Ace muttered, voice softening. "You're okay though, right?"

"..." Luffy's lower lip trembled even harder, and no amount of biting on it could make it stop. He wrapped his arms around Ace several times, bursting into sobs. "I was really scared, Ace!" he cried, unable to help it as the emotions came rushing back. "I thought I'd be stuck there forever or I'd fall all the way to the other side of the world and you'd never be able to get to me or-"

"Luffy," Ace cut him off, hugging him even tighter. It wasn't often Ace actually _hugged him back,_ so he tried to enjoy it as much as possible. "If you ever need us, we'll be there. The world can slow us down, but it'll never stop us from getting to you. Understood?"

"Y-yeah," Luffy sniffled, clutching his shirt tightly.

"So don't be scared," Ace muttered.

"I won't be!" Luffy promised. "I'm strong!"

"Yeah yeah," Ace rubbed his back for a moment, then pulled away.

Luffy was reluctant to let him go, but he knew better than to cling and make Ace have to pry him off. As soon as he was no longer buried in Ace's arms, the scent of cooked meat assaulted his senses. He blinked, twisting immediately to see a large portion of meat on a big wooden plank. "Eh?"

"Ace was getting dinner when we got home," Sabo explained. "We did promise you extra meat, didn't we?"

Luffy's eyes lit up, his grin taking up half his face as drool started to collect in his mouth.

By the time they finished eating, he'd forgotten all about how scared he'd been in the crevice. The meat had tasted better than ever, and neither of his older brothers seemed to be upset anymore. They shared cookies and talked about having lessons instead of training the next day due to Luffy's injuries.

When it was time for bed, Luffy gave both his brothers the biggest pout he could manage.

Ace noticed it first, sighing. "What?" he asked flatly.

"I don't wanna sleep alone," Luffy explained.

"You're not," Ace raised an eyebrow at him - and was it just him, or did it look like there was a mark darkening under his right eye? - then motioned to their sleeping mats. "We're all sleeping right here."

"Yeah but we all have our own mats," Luffy explained. "I wanna sleep with my brothers tonight. Can I?"

Sabo tilted his head to the side. "What brought this on?"

"I was scared earlier," Luffy explained, trying not to look embarrassed for admitting it again. "And it was really hard to breathe and I couldn't move. If I dream about that tonight, I might get scared again. But if I have one of my brothers on each side, I won't be scared because it's not a stupid rock and a stupid ground trying to take me away. It's just my brothers."

"..." Ace glance away, a redness on his cheeks that Luffy hoped wasn't from annoyance. "Fine," he sighed.

"I don't mind," Sabo added, smiling at them. "Just watch your feet. You kick a lot in your sleep."

"No I don't," Luffy protested.

"You do," Ace said, taking Sabo's side, as always.

"I do not!" Luffy insisted. "Besides, Ace snores!"

"I do _not_ snore," Ace retorted.

"Well, you _do_ snore," Sabo admitted, which had Luffy's face lighting up again, and Ace's twisting into an indignant scowl.

"You're taking his side?" Ace demanded. "What about you? You hog the blankets!"

"I beg your pardon?" Sabo scowled.

Luffy giggled. "Ace is right, Sabo. You do hog the blankets."

"Luffy, you're supposed to be on my side!" Sabo protested.

"Nuh-uh, he's on my side now," Ace looped his arm around Luffy's shoulders and tugged him into a sideways hug. "Isn't that right, Luffy?"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed readily since he was sort of getting a hug out of it.

"Oh that's cheap," Sabo complained. "Luffy, I was taking your side. You can't leave your side to join his side. Then I have no side."

Luffy stared, blinking several times before he nodded. "You're right, I can't leave Sabo with no side…"

"He's just trying to confuse you," Ace snorted. "Don't let him fool you like that."

"Oh, really?" Luffy asked, turning to Sabo with wide eyes.

There was a moment of silence before the situation proved to be too absurd for all of them, and it was broken as they dissolved into laughter that lasted until their sides hurt and they just wanted to flop onto their mats.

True to their word, Ace and Sabo made sure to move the mats together so Luffy could sleep in between them rather than sleep in their usual position with their heads close together and plenty of space in between them all.

Luffy was allowed to specify how close he wanted them, which led to him being draped halfway over Ace's chest while Sabo hugged him from behind. He noticed Sabo was moving a little slowly, as if his stomach hurt, but he didn't get a chance to question it before exhaustion started to set in. Surrounded by his brothers, even if Ace was going to snore and Sabo was going to steal the blankets, he'd never felt safer or happier.

Even though he'd planned on trying to stay awake to listen in on any big brother conversations they might have that night - like he tried and failed to every night - he fell asleep first, a giant smile stretching across his face.

* * *

 **A/N: Long story short, Chapter 792 wrecked me and I needed to make the trio cuddle as much as possible. Next chapter will be Ace's perspective and will cover some of what happened in this chapter off screen :)**

 **Thanks so much for all the love, guys! It was really hard holding back to update after some of those wonderful reviews. It brightened my week!**

 **See ya next Weds ^_-**

 **~Mithril**


	9. Bruises

**A/N: Wow okay so… this chapter almost didn't happen. It's a long story, but in addition to massive plot bunnies from other stories ambushing me courtesy of my adorable beta, I've had a lot of life changes happen in a short amount of time with no warning. The good news is, I'm no longer homeless! Yay! Bad news is I'm gonna be living in the sticks with questionable internet access. I'll still be able to write though! I'll try to keep tumblr updated if anything happens to my schedule or anything like that, but for now all looks well.**

 **The main reason this almost didn't happen is because the chapter was not finished until very late in the day on Tuesday, and my poor beta dealt with everything from a half-finished chapter being thrown her way at an inconvenient time to a sudden burst of inspiration finishing the chapter** ** _while_ it was being beta'd xD I seriously don't know how she puts up with me.**

 **So, MASSIVE shout out of appreciation to Beyond Kailani, whose help with fixing this poor chapter up for me allowed me to keep my schedule. (She also has me on track to post another chapter of Bonds of Sea and Fire this Friday, so yay!)**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil; you are my sun, moon, and stars! And thanks so much for helping me pick a story for Sabo to tell. Special secondary shout-out to Aynslesa for poking at that with me as well.**

 **Nakama = ...This is a One Piece fic. If I have to define Nakama, something's wrong! XD**

 **And a huge shout out to the lovely reviewers as well! I didn't get a chance to reply to everyone (see: Life is a crisis and I am a hot mess) but believe me, I squeaked and jumped around.**

 **I still do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **A/N INTERRUPTION. DUE TO SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 794, KYOUDAI IS GOING TO BE SHORTENED TO MAINTAIN CANON CONTINUITY. This has no effect on my other stories, though. Yet. :3**

* * *

 _Chapter 9: Bruises_

* * *

"Is he asleep already?"

Ace's voice was hushed. Despite being able to feel _and_ hear Luffy's soft snoring against his chest, he still hadn't spoken until he was sure he wouldn't be waking his little brother up. In addition to a tight grip on his shirt, he could feel bandages covering most of Luffy's exposed skin, and he wanted to make sure Luffy got some rest.

"Yes," came Sabo's answer a moment later.

Ace nearly jumped at the close proximity, before opening his eyes to look over Luffy's head at Sabo. They were separated only by the space of the tiny, rubbery body between them, and those dark blue eyes were boring into his.

An uneasy feeling of anxiety hit him, and he almost looked away. "How's your stomach?"

"You hit harder when we spar," Sabo said dismissively, although it was obvious neither boy believed it. "What about your face?"

"You were holding back," Ace lied just as nonchalantly.

They were silent for several moments before Ace finally broke eye contact, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you still mad at me?" Ace asked finally.

"Yes," Sabo answered honestly. He never held back, and Ace appreciated it, even if it made him feel a little worse right then. "I know you're still mad that Luffy wandered off, but you just… you can't say things like that to him, Ace."

It was on the tip of Ace's tongue to argue - an ingrained instinct to defend himself - but he held back. The automatic response he felt the urge to say now was the same response that had started the physical side of their fight earlier.

" _Coddling him is your job."_

It wasn't like he truly _believed_ Sabo coddled Luffy, either. They both knew Sabo had more patience with Luffy, but he never lied to make Luffy feel better or held his hand when he needed to toughen up. Sabo being the more patient and nurturing brother didn't make him immune to being annoyed with Luffy or lecturing him when he did something wrong, and more often than not it was Sabo's stern manner that Luffy actually responded to.

Ace usually only accused Sabo of coddling Luffy when he was angry with himself for not being able to express his concern or relief properly, or if he was trying to start a fight.

"What do you want me to do, Sabo?" Ace muttered instead. "Tell him it's okay that he nearly got himself killed because he was being careless? By far, this has to be the worst situation he's gotten himself into since we started looking after him."

Sabo exhaled audibly. "I'm not saying that, Ace. Do I sound like I've calmed down? Do you have any idea how terrified I was when he started hyperventilating?" Sabo was quiet for a few moments, the silence weighing heavily on Ace's heart. When he spoke again, that weight only got heavier. "No matter how upset it makes us, no matter how _worried_ we are, you should know better than anyone how badly words can hurt. It's even worse when it comes from someone you care about. Yell at him all you want, but watch what you actually _say,_ Ace."

Ace gave himself a lot of credit for being able to remain still rather than flinch at Sabo's reprimand. He fell silent then, just listening to the sounds of the forest while he thought about that statement; how much it would have killed him to hear his brothers say they didn't trust him. Even if he knew they didn't mean it, how would it feel to hear either one of them say that they thought he was worthless or that they didn't want him around, even in the heat of the moment? Just imagining those words in his brothers' voices made his chest ache and his throat feel tight. The idea that he was doing the same thing to Luffy hurt, and Sabo pointing it out only served to show him how immature and worthless he was being.

It felt like forever before his shame dissipated enough for him to find his voice again, but by then he couldn't think of anything he could actually say.

Thankfully, he didn't have to. Along with the sound of the wind rustling the tree they'd made their home in, and the faint noises of assorted creatures in the forest, he could hear Sabo's breathing echoing Luffy's, both even and relaxed. He dared one quick glance to his blond brother's face to confirm, and was relieved to see him fast asleep with a relaxed expression on his face.

With a soft sigh, he tugged them both a little closer, closing his eyes and hoping his guilt wouldn't keep him awake all night, only to immediately drift off with the comforting rhythm of Luffy's heartbeat against his chest.

* * *

 _"There you are. What were you thinking taking off like that earlier?"_

 _Ace scowled, ignoring his brother's presence as much as he could while he continued to cook the meat he'd prepared. It hadn't taken long for him to drop their bags off at the treehouse and make his way back into the forest to hunt. Honestly, taking his aggression out on a wild boar had helped him calm down a little._

 _Not enough to apologize or show remorse, but enough that he didn't immediately snap at Sabo when he heard the beginnings of what had to be one of his 'be nicer to Luffy' lectures._

 _"And now you're ignoring me. Real mature, Ace."_

 _Ace shrugged in response, poking at the fire with a stick. The meat was probably done, or close enough to it, but if he started to put out the fire and pack it up to take home, it would mean having to talk to Sabo._

 _The absence of Luffy hit him then, and he twisted around where he sat, opening his mouth._

 _"He's in the treehouse," Sabo cut him off, a disapproving frown on his face. "Waiting for us to come back."_

 _"Do you really think it's a good idea to leave him alone after what just happened?" Ace asked with a snort, turning his back to Sabo again. "Nevermind that he's probably being a crybaby about it, but what if he tries to come looking for us and gets himself in trouble again?"_

 _Sabo twitched, but he didn't immediately lose his temper. Ace could still see the telltale signs that the blond was close to it though. It was in the subtle shift of his stance and the balling of his fists. "Then I guess we'd better hurry back, shouldn't we?" Sabo asked, emphasizing each word with a tone that should have left no room for argument._

 _It might have worked on anyone who wasn't Ace._

 _"Why don't you hurry back and I'll catch up when I feel like it?"_

 _Sabo clenched his jaw with an audible grinding sound from his teeth. "Ace."_

 _Ace finally stood, turning to face the blond. He managed to keep his expression impassive, his eyes guarded and cold. "I don't want to talk about it right now, Sabo. Leave me alone."_

 _"You don't get the option to run off and sulk by yourself anymore, Ace. We're brothers now, and Luffy needs us -both- to come back."_

 _"Yeah, Luffy needs me right now," Ace replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Cut the crap, Sabo. You're the one who handles him when he's like this."_

 _"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Sabo's eyes were flashing with fury, and even though Ace could tell the blond was about to snap, part of him welcomed it. Part of him encouraged it._

 _Tension had been winding within both of them ever since they'd realized Luffy had strayed from the path, and it had only gotten worse when they'd found hints of his presence without actually finding -him-. The tension had mounted when they'd realized his predicament, and even though it had broken for one absolutely joyful moment when they'd both had Luffy in their arms and they knew he was safe, it had come back far too quickly._

 _Ace was venting it the only way he knew how, and it looked to him like Sabo was struggling with the same issue. Neither one of them was in any condition to be there for Luffy when they were both so angry and stressed they wanted nothing more than an excuse to let it out._

 _It was one simple sentence, and maybe at the time, Ace believed he meant it, but it sparked the fuse easily._

 _"Coddling him is your job."_

 _Sabo's eyes flashed with sheer fury at the insinuation, and likely the fact that Ace was ignoring the bigger picture to sling hurtful words out of spite. Faster than Ace had anticipated, Sabo was on him and swinging, catching him right in the jaw with a punch that hurt more than Ace wanted to admit. A second punch caught him right under the eye, and there was absolutely no hope of it not darkening later._

 _Almost as soon as Sabo's second punch connected, Ace was moving to counter, slamming his fist into Sabo's stomach and sending him back several feet. From the way Sabo wheezed, Ace was sure he'd knocked the wind out of the blond._

 _He didn't give Sabo a chance to catch his breath either, lunging aggressively and tackling the other boy into the dirt._

 _"Damn it, Ace!" Sabo growled, his voice rasping as he struggled to gain enough leverage to flip them. "Take that back, right now!"_

 _"Make me!" Ace snarled back at him, wincing as their scuffle caused a sharp rock to dig into his lower back and not caring how childish he sounded. The rest of their argument was lost to wordless shouts of anger, a few insults hurled the moment they backed off to catch their breaths. By far, the most damage had been done in the first few hits, and both of them knew it. When they finally ran out of energy, with Ace winding up on top, Sabo roughly shoved him off and the two lay side by side in the darkness. The fire Ace had been using to cook the meat was starting to go out since it had been some time since he'd added any sticks to keep it going._

 _"Feel any better?" Sabo rasped._

 _Ace closed his eyes for a moment. Despite still feeling anxious, worried, and guilty, he really was feeling better. "Yeah. We should probably head back."_

 _"Yeah," Sabo agreed._

 _Neither boy moved, opting to catch their breaths before attempting to carry the food back to their waiting little brother._

* * *

"No… don't go… I'm here…"

Ace groaned softly, eyes fluttering open at the sound of Luffy's voice. For one disorienting moment, he couldn't remember where he was or what he was doing. The memory of his argument with Sabo was still so vivid in his mind, and the ache he'd felt from thinking about their fight had somehow intensified while he lay sleeping.

It was Luffy's pitiful whimper that jolted him out of his groggy state. Small rubber hands were gripping at his shirt, and the deep, even breathing he'd fallen asleep listening to was now very ragged. Luffy mumbled again, the words muffled and almost inaudible, but he could still hear the general message.

Luffy was having a nightmare about being in that damn crevice, even though he'd seemed so cheerful right before bed.

It was on the tip of Ace's tongue to speak up, to try and wake his little brother, but Sabo beat him to it. The blond's voice was soft, and even though Ace hadn't realized Sabo was awake or expected him to speak, it was soothing enough that it didn't even startle the freckled boy.

"Luffy, wake up. We're right here."

Luffy whimpered again, scrunching his face and patting around for his hat, which was resting near their pillows.

"Luffy," Ace spoke up before Sabo could say anything else, placing one of his hands on Luffy's back when Sabo pulled away to sit up. "We found you, remember? Wake up."

Luffy stirred at Ace's voice, a struggle on his face as he tried to reconcile his nightmare with Ace's words, before he finally opened his eyes. The effect of seeing Ace, even in the darkness, was instantaneous. Large tears began to well up, his lower lip trembled, and then Ace's name burst from his lips in a trembling sob. Ace barely had time to react before Luffy was clinging to him, practically pawing at him.

"Oi, Luffy," Ace sighed. "Knock it-"

"Did you have a nightmare, Luffy?" Sabo interrupted.

Ace frowned at the blond, hoping his expression was visible. It was obvious Luffy had just woken from a nightmare so why did Sabo even bother asking?

"The ground ate me and I couldn't reach you!" Luffy wailed, directly in Ace's ear.

Sabo shifted closer again, but his eyes were boring into Ace's as he spoke. "We're right here, Luffy. You reached us, remember? We're not going anywhere."

Ace swallowed at the look on Sabo's face, realization sinking in. He couldn't just yell at Luffy about crying, not when Luffy's fear, no matter how unwarranted or unrealistic, was so fresh for the younger boy. It took him a moment to think of what he could do, wondering why Sabo didn't just pry Luffy out of his arms and take over, but there was no tactful way to call attention to it while Luffy was panicking.

"Idiot," Ace muttered finally, but he softened his voice before he said it. He hesitated, then slid one of his hands up into Luffy's hair, lightly stroking it. "What kind of stupid dream is that?"

"But it felt real!" Luffy whined. A pleased smile started to spread on Ace's face when he realized Luffy's whining had become slightly less panicked.

"But it wasn't real, so knock it off," Ace continued.

Luffy grumbled, sniffling crankily before pulling back enough to wipe at his eyes. "It _felt_ real," he insisted.

"And what does _this_ feel like?" Ace asked. Before Luffy could question what he was supposed to be feeling, Ace lifted his hand from the younger boy's hair and brought it down in a fist, bonking him. It clearly hadn't _hurt,_ but Luffy still yelped and grabbed his head with both hands.

"Hey!" he protested.

Sabo grinned. "Ace is right though," he told Luffy. "It wasn't real, and we're here now. Why don't we go back to sleep?"

Ace nodded in agreement, weariness seeping back into his bones the moment Sabo suggested it. He was still exhausted and ready to sleep in the next morning.

"No," Luffy mumbled, bowing his head. He glanced briefly at his hat, which he'd forgotten to put back on in his haste to tackle Ace.

"No?" Sabo echoed.

"I'm not sleeping," Luffy declared, keeping his head bowed. "I'm never sleeping again, okay?"

Ace blinked several times before lifting his head to stare at Sabo in the darkness. The blond looked just as tired as he felt, and if the ache throbbing through the side of his face was any indication, his brother had to be sore as hell too. "Care to repeat that, Luffy?" Ace asked.

"I'm never sleeping again, so I never have to have that stupid nightmare," Luffy told them. "You can sleep. I'll stay awake."

"Luffy…" Ace felt his eye twitch slightly. "You have to sleep some time."

"Nuh-uh," Luffy shook his head stubbornly, then lifted his head to give a wavering frown of determination. "I'm not tired at all!"

Even if Luffy hadn't been utterly terrible at lying, they both would have known better. He was still covered in bandages from where the rocks had cut into his skin, and the puffiness around his eyes from how hard he'd cried earlier indicated he was still emotionally exhausted.

"We'll still sleep together, so come here," Ace said, opening his arms in invitation.

Luffy's jaw dropped, likely from the invitation coming from Ace - which made a twinge of something weird race through the freckled boy - and for a moment it seemed like he'd comply. He started to shift forward with his arms spreading wide to hug his brother, only to stop himself, placing both hands on Ace's chest with a frown.

"No, I won't go to sleep," he argued stubbornly.

"Luffy, you need to sleep," Sabo tried. How he managed to keep his voice calm and soothing when he had to be just as cranky as Ace was beyond the raven-haired boy. "We'll wake you up again if you have another nightmare."

"Nope," Luffy pulled away completely, standing up and wobbling on his feet. "I already said I'm never sleeping again. Then the nightmare can't come back."

"Luffy logic at its finest," Ace griped, throwing himself down onto his back. "Fine, whatever. Stay up. I'm going back to bed."

Sabo huffed when Luffy moved away from the bedding and sat down with a thump, refusing to budge. He then shrugged helplessly at Ace, who grunted and draped an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block them out. When Ace offered no help, Sabo sighed and turned his attention back to Luffy.

Ace tried to ignore them. He really did. He could tell Sabo was still sitting there, trying to think of something to convince Luffy to join them, but it was almost admirable how steadfast Luffy was being in his decision.

Sabo wasn't holding back, either. He tried being calm and patient, persuasive, and even pleading. He tried bargaining for meat and candy, but while Luffy responded positively, he managed to catch himself and decline the offerings to insist he was fine where he was and he wasn't sleepy.

It wasn't like they had anything to be worried about. Luffy could try to stay awake all he wanted, but sooner or later exhaustion would win and he'd pass out. Even knowing that, Ace found he couldn't quite drift off, no matter how much his body screamed for more rest. He was hyper-aware of the fact that Luffy was stubbornly sitting with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees, staring at nothing in the darkness while Sabo tried to think up ways to convince him to sleep.

Ace sighed in irritation. He was annoyed that he couldn't fall asleep when his body clearly wanted him to, he was annoyed that nothing was working on Luffy, but most of all, he found himself annoyed that Sabo appeared to be losing his patience. The blond's voice had an edge to it, and when Luffy refused _another_ promise of a reward in return for compliance, Sabo threw himself down beside Ace with a grunt.

"Do something. I can't sleep," Sabo muttered.

"You do something. I'm trying to sleep," Ace countered, rolling onto his side so Sabo was addressing his back.

"I don't know, hit him again or something."

"Huh?" Ace rolled back over, giving up all pretenses of trying to sleep so he could stare at Sabo. "Excuse me?"

"I've tried reasoning with him and he's just being stubborn. Isn't this where you knock some sense into him?" Sabo complained.

"You're actually telling me to go hit Luffy."

"Well, it doesn't hurt him…"

"I can hear you guys!" Luffy growled, clearly offended by Sabo's idea.

"Then you know you should be trying to sleep," Ace pushed himself up in frustration. The idea of knocking Luffy upside the head a few times until he agreed to sleep was tempting, but the fact that Sabo had suggested he do it had him on edge. Just what did Sabo expect from him if they were _both_ out of patience?

He shoved a hand roughly through his hair. There really didn't seem to be an alternative to manhandling Luffy until the younger boy finally slept, but that probably wouldn't help the situation with his nightmare. He'd been relying on Sabo to be the one to find a solution, but that hadn't worked.

A sudden idea had him pausing, looking over at Sabo for a moment before turning to Luffy again. "Luffy," he said, making his voice as stern as possible without sounding angry.

Luffy shifted in the darkness. It was a subtle movement, but it was enough for Ace to know he'd gotten Luffy's full attention. Rather than scold or yell at him, Ace opened his arms again.

"Come sit with me."

Luffy pushed himself up and started to hurry over, hesitating as if he thought the hit Sabo suggested might be coming, but when Ace kept his arms open, he practically jumped into his brother's arms, sitting in his lap.

Ace grunted quietly at the impact, then wrapped his arms around Luffy, hugging him to his chest in response to the younger boy clinging to him tightly. Luffy was straddling his waist, arms wrapped a couple of times around his chest, and despite his stubborn insistence of being okay, he was shivering. Ace wasn't sure if it was from being cold or if he was still scared, but either way the idea of Luffy sitting alone in the darkness while they tried to sleep just didn't sit well with him.

"I'm not gonna sleep," Luffy told him, even as he snuggled a little closer.

"Fine," Ace said, letting Luffy think he'd given up on the idea. "But you're sitting here with me now, got it?"

"Okay," Luffy agreed readily.

Ace turned his gaze to Sabo again, and even in the dim lighting, he could see the curious expression on his blond brother's face at this new development.

"Sabo," Ace spoke, making the boy in question jump slightly.

"What?"

"Got any stories?"

"Stories?" Luffy echoed, trying and failing to keep from looking too excited.

Sabo pushed himself up a little, rubbing at his eyes and frowning. "Stories? Like what?"

"Something to keep us entertained," Ace continued. "You know, so we don't fall asleep."

Sabo pushed himself up the rest of the way, studying Ace as Luffy gave a delighted sound. Understanding passed between the two older boys. This was their best bet for getting Luffy to fall back asleep without resorting to violence. Ace wasn't even bothered by the fact that Sabo seemed surprised he'd thought of it. He was still coming to terms with the fact that his idea might actually work if they played their cards right.

"Okay," Sabo said. "I'll tell you both a story."

"With adventures," Luffy prompted, twisting to look at Sabo while he hugged Ace.

"With adventures," Sabo promised, yawning into his hand for a moment. "Do either of you know the story of Momotaro, the 'Little Peachling'?"

"No," Luffy answered immediately.

Ace shook his head. He'd never had stories read to him - that he knew of - and he'd never been interested in folktales.

"Okay," Sabo nodded. "Hundreds of years ago, there was an old woodcutter and his wife."

"This doesn't sound like an adventure," Luffy interrupted.

"It's only the start of the story," Sabo rubbed his temples. "You have to wait to get to the adventure."

"Oh," Luffy let his head rest on Ace's chest as he relaxed. "Okay, let's get to the adventure part. We can skip all the boring stuff."

"Yeah Sabo, skip all the boring stuff," Ace flashed a smirk, knowing full well Sabo would not be happy with the idea of having to tell a story in such a way.

"Ace," Sabo grit his teeth, and while his tone seemed cheerful, there was an underlying bite to his words warning him not to encourage Luffy to make the storytelling more difficult than it needed to be. "You want to hear the _full_ story, don't you?"

"Sure," Ace relented, smirking. It wasn't often that he was the calm one Luffy listened to while Sabo was barely holding back his temper.

"Anyway, there was an old woodcutter and his wife. One morning, the old man headed to the hills to gather firewood, while his wife went to the river to wash the laundry. While she was washing the clothes, she saw a peach floating in the water."

"A peach?" Luffy echoed. "Peaches are tasty."

"We haven't had peaches in a while," Ace added thoughtfully.

Sabo shot the older boy an annoyed glare. Interruptions from Luffy were expected. Interruptions or encouragements of such disruptions from Ace were clearly grating on the blond's nerves.

"So the wife took the peach home to give to her husband for supper-"

"That's it?!" Luffy gasped. "Just a peach and no meat?"

"-but when he came home to eat it, the fruit split in two," Sabo continued. "And from the fruit, a baby was born."

"Is-"

"No, that's not where babies typically come from," Sabo cut Luffy off before the question could be asked. "So they raised the baby as their own, and since he was born from a peach, they named him Little Peachling, or Momotaro."

"It's a good thing he wasn't born from a banana or something," Ace snickered. "They would have had to call him Bananataro."

Luffy hid his face in Ace's chest to giggle, the motion causing a pleasant vibration to reverberate through him.

"Momotaro grew up strong and brave," Sabo continued, his voice cutting through the giggles with an impatience that had Ace smirking again. "One day he told his parents, 'I am going to go fight the ogres on their island and carry off their treasure. Will you make me some millet dumplings for my journey?'"

"I'm hungry again," Luffy said, although both boys had predicted such a response.

"So his parents made him the dumplings and wished him well, and he set off on his travels with a smile. As he was journeying, he was joined by a monkey who said-"

"The monkey could talk?!" Luffy yelped.

"You're a monkey and _you_ talk," Ace jeered.

"I'm not a monkey! Monkeys are mean," Luffy argued.

"Not all monkeys," Sabo tried to get Luffy's attention back on him so he could finish the story. "This monkey was nice. And it could talk."

"A talking animal sounds so cool," Luffy sighed wistfully.

"So the monkey said to Momotaro, 'Kia! kia! kia! where are you going?'", Sabo grinned when Luffy smiled at the change of his voice to indicate the monkey had been speaking. He alternated voices as he continued the conversation between the main character and the monkey.

"I'm going to the ogres' island to carry off their treasure."

"What are you carrying?"

"The very best millet dumplings in all of Japan."

"If you give me a dumpling, I'll go with you."

Sabo paused, waiting for the interruption.

"I want one too," Luffy sighed, leaning his head on Ace's shoulder and peering up at Sabo. "Can we have dumplings soon?"

"Idiot," Ace chuckled. "We can't make dumplings here. You'll have to ask Makino next time we go to the village."

"Okay," Luffy agreed.

Ace went back to lightly stroking Luffy's hair the way he'd done when Luffy had first woken, pleased to see that it had a visibly relaxing effect on the younger boy. His arms had retracted, but his grip on Ace was still just as tight.

"If you two are done," Sabo gestured at them.

"Oh, don't mind me," Ace shot him a smirk. "Keep telling us the story, Sabo."

Sabo's smile was forced and promised revenge. He continued the story, going on about how after the monkey, a pheasant and then a dog had both joined Momotaro in a similar fashion, with Momotaro sharing his food each time. Luffy of course piped up every time the dumplings were mentioned, horrified by the thought that Momotaro had given up all his food. Sabo had tried to reassure him that Momotaro had plenty of dumplings to share, but Ace kept questioning the logistics of where he was keeping all the dumplings, which irritated the blond to no end.

"So they _got to the ogres' island,"_ Sabo's voice came through gritted teeth. Ace felt a _slight_ twinge of guilt at how obviously annoyed his brother was, but he couldn't deny he felt a smug sense of justification. He was always the irritated one, always the one Luffy argued with or riled up, and Sabo was always the patient one Luffy flocked to. Having their roles reversed like this was strange to say the least, but it was nice not to be the one struggling for a change.

"Were there robots?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"No Luffy, it was an _ogre_ island," Sabo answered. "The pheasant flew over the castle gate, while the monkey climbed over the castle wall. Momotaro and the dog forced their way through the gate to get into the castle where they did battle with the ogres-"

"Tell me about the battle!" Luffy pleaded, twisting his head at an unnatural angle to peer at Sabo.

Ace almost laughed at the distressed look on Sabo's face, because the blond was clearly too tired to embellish the story. Ace took pity on him, abruptly taking over the story with the details a fierce battle. Luffy's attention snapped to Ace immediately, giving Sabo a chance to lean back onto his pillow, cradling his stomach again.

Sabo let him have the story a little longer than he liked, but he kept it going as long as Luffy was staring up at him, stars in his wide, dark eyes. After the fifth battle he described, this one involving a hidden mecha the ogres had constructed specifically to fight Momotaro - seriously, it was a good thing Ace didn't know the source material, because Luffy wanted nothing short of insanity in his story - Sabo finally cut in again.

"Victorious, Momotaro took the king as a prisoner, and the other ogres gave in to his demands, bringing him all the treasures in the castle. They had coats to make their wearers invisible, jewels that seemed to contain the very sea in them, and all sorts of other precious baubles."

For a moment, it seemed like Luffy would want to hear more about the battles, but he eventually turned to look at Sabo again, struggling with a yawn. "So he got all the treasure?"

"Yes, and then he brought the treasure home to his parents," Sabo concluded.

"That's it?" Ace couldn't help but ask. "He won, he got the treasure, he… gave it to his parents?"

"I guess so," Sabo shrugged helplessly. "I didn't write it."

"But what about the monkey, and the pheasant, and the dog? Did he get to keep his friends?" Luffy asked with wide eyes.

"Of course he did, Luffy," Sabo smiled. "They were his nakama, so of course they went home with him, and ate millet dumplings all the time."

Luffy smiled widely. "That's a good story," he decided.

"It wasn't bad," Ace agreed. "Could've used more robots."

"Don't you start with me, Ace," Sabo warned.

"Ace is right!" Luffy agreed readily, nodding his head so his hair flopped a little over his forehead. "Robots make everything better!"

"I give up," Sabo sighed. "I'm going to sleep now."

Luffy bit his lip, an uncertain look passing over his face again.

"Luffy," Ace drew his attention, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. The idea had initially been for Luffy to drift off during the story, but the interactive aspect had kept him attentive, and while it had succeeded in distracting him from the nightmare, it hadn't actually helped them in getting him to fall asleep. All Ace could do now was remind Luffy how exhausted they all were and hope it would make him more agreeable. "Sabo is tired. I'm tired. I know you're tired too. You're the only one trying not to sleep."

"It was a really bad dream, Ace," Luffy admitted in a small, sleepy voice that made Ace's chest feel uncomfortably tight. He hated when Luffy sounded small. He definitely preferred the boisterous and rambunctious Luffy who never backed down from a challenge.

"I know that," Ace sighed softly, remembering to watch his words so he didn't hurt Luffy needlessly. "But you can't let it beat you. Aren't you gonna be the King of Pirates?"

Luffy scrunched his face, nodding. "Yeah."

"Well, you just need to defeat your bad dream then," Ace said. "Everyone has bad dreams, but no one tries to stay awake forever to avoid them."

"Even Ace and Sabo?" Luffy mumbled.

"Even me and Sabo," Ace promised him. "But if any of us start to have a nightmare, the other two can wake whoever it is up."

Luffy struggled with that idea a little, clearly not wanting to risk his nightmare coming back, but the reminder that he had to defeat the dream along with the promise that his brothers would be there finally won out.

"Okay," he decided, snuggling closer. Ace caught the brief glimpse of his smile before that rubbery face disappeared against his collarbone. "But can I stay like this, Ace?"

"This time, sure," Ace carefully shifted to lie down next to Sabo, yawning again. "Joining us, Sabo?"

The reply wasn't a coherent word, but Sabo's weight shifted so they were back in a similar position to the one they'd initially fallen asleep in.

It amazed them both how quickly Luffy fell asleep after that. Sabo had barely finished putting the blankets over them before they heard his soft snoring.

"Hey," Sabo mumbled, his eyes sliding closed and his voice lilting like he might join Luffy in slumber at any moment.

"What?" Ace asked, closing his eyes as well. More than fatigued, he felt relaxed and ready to drift off finally.

"Feel any better?" Sabo repeated the question from earlier.

Ace sighed softly. Earlier, when he'd let the stress and frustration manifest in the form of physical violence, it been a nice release, but honestly… it didn't compare to how he felt now, having had a chance to try again with handling Luffy. Sabo asking him rather than reprimanding him again or trying to lecture him told him the blond felt he'd done a good job.

He was glad no one had their eyes open, because it helped him pretend the heat on his cheeks _wasn't_ a blush. It was just like that first night when Sabo had told him he didn't need to change who he was, when he'd struggled with the meaning of being a big brother. He wasn't forcing himself to act any specific way - not usually, at least - but he and Sabo were both growing into their respective roles without even realizing just how much it was changing them.

He'd finally identified the gnawing feeling he'd had earlier when Sabo had been trying to help guide him and he'd written it off as Sabo doing everything right while he just messed everything up.

Jealousy.

In retrospect, he felt foolish for ever being jealous of the way Sabo handled Luffy. That night had really driven the point home. Luffy needed them both, and neither one of them was doing better than the other. They were just doing it differently, and there was nothing wrong with that. Even Sabo could lose his patience.

Being able to let go of that negative emotion and truly stop comparing himself to Sabo made him feel lighter and happier.

"Yeah," he answered finally, without even checking to see if the blond had been awake to hear it.

* * *

 **A/N: And since the next chapter takes place after a little time has gone by, I will answer you now:**

 **Yes, Ace snored.**  
 **Yes, Sabo stole the blankets while they were sleeping.**  
 **Yes, Luffy kicked his brothers a lot and wound up sleeping with his feet on Ace's head eventually.**

 **Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Also, the story of Momotaro does not belong to me, although the addition of mechas is totally all mine. Or Ace's. Mwah!**

 **Oh, and the spoilers for chapter 794 have broken my mfking heart so, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the corner sobbing while I adjust Kyoudai's later chapters to fit canon, as well as figure out how AU my other stories are actually going now.**

 **~Mithril**


	10. Illness

**A/N: …**

 ***Falls to the ground like Sanji VS Perona* I am human trash T.T I'm so sorry!**

So, I still have an ear infection, but I finished the meds so hopefully I stop feeling like a walking plague. Also, I moved and still haven't quite settled in, but I do have a bed now, and reliable internet!

I'll admit, on top of the moving and the ear infection, I hit a snag because of an unkind message I got on my tumblr related to my other story and the possibility it'll have ships. If anyone else is concerned about what I ship, I added a section on my profile to explain what will actually be featured in my non-romance-genre stories. Rest assured, if it's not a romance genre, the story will -not- revolve around ships! **Kyoudai specifically has nothing to do with shipping and is purely ASL/family related (other than that one dash of Shanks x Makino I implied earlier xD lol)**

I'm sorry for the delay, though.

I don't know if I replied to all the reviews or not since it's been so hectic; I'll respond to the guest reviews at the bottom :) Thank you so much everyone for all the faves/follows and especially those amazing reviews!

 **Special thanks to Beyond Kailani as always, and extra love for the frantic pace at which I ask her to beta my things. (She posted Hand of Fate if anyone wants to see an amazing AU one-shot about what could have happened at Marineford!)**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil, who is the sole reason I watched One Piece in the first place.**

 **I don't own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 10: Illness_

* * *

He should have spoken up earlier.

The day had started like any other day since moving out. They'd woken when they felt like it, they'd hunted for breakfast, they'd decided on an activity for the day, placated Luffy with extra food each of them had saved from breakfast without communicating or admitting they'd done it for Luffy's sake, and then they'd started their task.

It had been a training day, with Luffy losing miserably on all one hundred of his fights and trying to insist on rematches. At first, Sabo had assumed Ace was just performing poorly when he'd won his first three in a row against the freckled boy. As the matches continued, he found himself watching Ace out of the corner of his eye, even when it was his turn to fight Luffy. It wasn't like fighting Luffy took much focus, although he did take care not to send him flying in any direction that felt like trouble due to being distracted.

The next indication had been the flush on Ace's cheeks that made his freckles stand out, and while Luffy had called attention to it with the same innocent tact - rather, _no tact -_ as always, Ace had waved it off and insisted he was fine.

If Sabo had spoken up when they'd finished their matches, with Ace winning a dismal fourteen to Sabo's thirty-six, it would have saved him a lot of trouble. He hadn't because Ace had been irate and confrontational about his poor performance.

They'd gone fishing for lunch, and while Luffy had caused them plenty of stress by getting too close and almost falling in, it had been mostly uneventful. They'd even caught enough fish for Luffy to have extra for once. When they'd packed up to head to the treehouse for another lesson - Sabo had gotten them to agree to working on their reading and writing twice a week since their visit to the village - Sabo had gone across the river first. Luffy always had to go between them in case he slipped, and just like any time Ace went last, he was directly behind their energetic little brother.

The sound of the splash had Sabo whirling around and ready to jump in after Luffy, but his dark blue eyes went round with shock as he saw Luffy turning as well, focus going to water behind him.

"Ace!" Luffy gasped, and Sabo wasn't fast enough to stop their sweet, _stupid_ little brother from jumping in to try and save him. Sabo threw his hat to the riverbank and made two quick leaps across the rocks before he dove into the water.

Ace was struggling to break the surface, Luffy limp and clearly deadweight under one of Ace's arms. Sabo reached them easily, grabbing onto Ace's shirt and pulling him up so their heads were above water again. The freckled boy was sputtering and coughing, but he didn't bother trying to catch his breath before he was hauling Luffy onto the nearest rock.

Sabo gave them both a boost, making sure the two dark-haired brothers were out of the water before he climbed up to join them.

"Ace, are you okay? Did I save you?" Luffy asked groggily, blinking up at them with his wide, owlish eyes.

"Idiot!" Ace scolded, reaching over to bring his fist down on Luffy's head. Sabo didn't even have time to try and deter him from the action - not that he wanted to, since Luffy really needed to be punched for that - but Ace's fist missed the mark and hit the rock instead. He yelped in pain, immediately cradling his sore hand.

"Ace," Sabo spoke as he helped Luffy sit up, thoroughly distracted from scolding the well-intentioned idiot to instead focus on the _stubborn_ idiot. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"I don't know," Ace sighed, pushing a hand through his dark hair, which was tangled and plastered to his face.

"Ace is sick?" Luffy echoed.

"Probably," Sabo pursed his lips in frustration. "Let's get to the treehouse and change out of our wet clothes, and we can check on Ace there."

"Okay," Luffy agreed readily, pushing himself up into a standing position. His movements were still a little sluggish, and Sabo knew from experience he wouldn't be back to his usual levels of energy until he was completely dried off.

"Ace, wait here," said Sabo with an air of authority that a healthy Ace would have scoffed at. When the other boy simply grumbled a reluctant agreement, Sabo turned and offered his back to the youngest boy. "Luffy, climb on."

"Really? Yay!" Luffy gave a happy sound and immediately latched on, the force nearly knocking Sabo right back into the water. Thankfully, the blond managed to keep his footing, steadying himself and adjusting his jumps for Luffy's added weight.

It wasn't like Luffy really weighed anything either, with his tiny rubber body. Sabo used very little energy leaping across the rocks to set Luffy down on solid ground. "Now stay here and wait for me to get Ace, okay?" Sabo asked, giving the boy a stern look.

Luffy nodded, puffing his cheeks a little before turning his full attention to Ace. The freckled boy hadn't moved from the spot, a sour look on his face.

"I don't need help," Ace grumbled when Sabo made it back. His words were petulant and surly, and it was exactly what Sabo had been expecting out of him.

"Sure, sure," Sabo agreed, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to his feet. Ace immediately wobbled, reaching out to grasp onto Sabo to keep his balance. "You seem to be perfectly capable of getting to the other side without me," he added sarcastically.

"Shut up," Ace grumbled, scowling. "I'm just dizzy. It'll pass."

"And when you fall into the river and I have to fish you out before Luffy tries to do it again?" Sabo retorted. He gave a pleased grin when Ace was left without a response. "Get on my back."

"I'm not getting a piggyback ride to the riverbank like Luffy did," Ace swore, shaking his head.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Before Luffy tries to come back and get you," Sabo pushed, knowing the implication of Luffy throwing himself back over the water would set Ace on edge. The effect was instantaneous, with Ace shooting a worried glance in Luffy's direction and trying to pretend he hadn't.

"Fine," Ace tightened his grip on Sabo's arm for a moment, but offered no resistance to Sabo giving him the same treatment he'd given Luffy moments earlier. The blond tried not to let his alarm show on his face as he felt Ace's feverishly warm skin against the back of his neck.

"I'm gonna hit you for this later," Sabo promised, scowling with worry at the obvious sign of a fever. "Luffy's the one who makes us worry, not you."

Ace's response was little more than a grunt. When they reached Luffy's side again, Sabo allowed Ace to get back down to walk on his own, keeping a watchful eye on him in case his strength gave out. Their younger boy was bouncing on his heels and looking to Ace with an unreadable expression, water dripping from the ends of his hair. More than once, Luffy tried to steady Ace if he stumbled, which resulted in Ace swatting at his hand and then actually falling over.

By the time they reached the treehouse, their hair had mostly dried, but all three boys were looking miserable. The days were getting colder, and bouncing back from an unexpected dip in the river was harder when the breeze chilled them to the core instead of leisurely drying them.

Ace was the picture of misery as he peeled his damp shirt off and flopped on the floor, breathing labored.

"Sabo," Luffy tugged insistently on the blond's shirt, effectively stopping him from being able to remove it.

He gave a patient sigh, tearing his gaze from Ace to look at Luffy. "Yes, Luffy?" he asked, kneeling down and removing Luffy's hand from the hem of his shirt so he could grab onto Luffy's. The rubber boy did little more than flail when Sabo abruptly tugged the shirt up over his head.

"Sabo," Luffy repeated, staring at him with wide eyes. With his hair tousled and unruly and his lower lip trembling just a little, he looked even smaller than usual. "What's wrong with Ace?"

Sabo blinked in confusion at Luffy's reaction, daring a glance at their freckled brother. Ace hadn't moved from the spot, but his condition was far from alarming. It was most likely a normal fever, and Ace, being stubborn and unwilling to show weakness of any kind if he could help it, had made it worse by neglecting it. Worrisome, sure, but nothing for Luffy to be so worked up over. "He's sick," he answered, looking back to Luffy. "He shouldn't have been pushing himself. He needs to rest now."

"What do you mean, sick?" Luffy asked, bringing his hands up to clench and unclench nervously in front of his chest, as if he wasn't sure what he should be doing with them.

"I'm fine," Ace muttered, his voice rasping. "I don't need an idiot like you worrying about me, Luffy."

"I mean he's sick," Sabo repeated in confusion, studying Luffy's expression. "He has a fever, but-"

"Does that mean he's dying?!" Luffy interrupted, large tears welling up in his wide eyes and rendering Sabo speechless for a moment. "Is Ace gonna die?!"

"Whoa, whoa," Sabo reached out and grasped the scrawny boy by the shoulders. "Luffy, calm down! Of course he's not gonna die. What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know what 'sick' is!" Luffy cried.

"You don't know what 'sick' is?" Ace repeated, shoving himself up into a sitting position and scowling. "Haven't you ever had a cold before?"

Luffy shook his head, expression earnest and less frantic at the sight of Ace no longer sprawled on the floor.

"I don't know if I should be surprised or not," Sabo admitted, shaking his head. "First things first. Change into dry clothes, and grab some for me and Ace too."

"Okay," Luffy nodded, rubbing at his eyes and giving Sabo a determined look, before rushing to the crate where they kept their clothes.

Once he was distracted, Sabo finished peeling off his wet clothes, then helped a disgruntled Ace whether he wanted it or not. "Don't argue with me," he muttered in a low tone, meeting Ace's gaze. "If you get any worse, I'm not going to be able to keep Luffy calm."

"It's not a big deal," Ace protested, though he offered no resistance to Sabo's help.

"It might not be a big deal to us, but if Luffy's never been sick or seen someone else get sick, what do you think this looks like to him?"

"Fine, but I don't need a babysitter," Ace muttered.

"Actually, you do," Sabo hissed back, before turning his attention to Luffy as the younger boy bounded over, arms full of clothes.

Ace groaned with obvious irritation as Luffy tried to help him get dressed. The first shirt Luffy had started to pull over his head - and the boy was not using a gentle touch - wound up being one of Luffy's own shirts, and fell short of his waist by over an inch. The second, Luffy put on him backwards. On the final try, Ace snatched it out of his hands and put it on himself, allowing Luffy to smooth the sleeves and the hem to feel like he'd helped.

In the end, Ace flopped back to the floor to catch his breath, clearly dizzy and exhausted.

"What do we do for him, Sabo?" Luffy asked. "So he can stop being sick."

"He just needs to rest," Sabo promised. "We'll get dinner tonight so he doesn't have to."

Luffy nodded, immediately getting up and gathering their bedding. Sabo didn't question his actions. It was likely Luffy was doing something adorable to help Ace, and it wouldn't cause any harm. This time.

Luffy laid their sleeping mats down, one on top of the other, then arranged their pillows at the top, a pleased expression on his face. "Ne, Ace, this looks comfy! You can rest here, right?"

Ace averted his eyes, and Sabo could have sworn the flush on his cheeks darkened a little. "Yeah, whatever."

Sabo refrained from helping him up, shaking his head as Ace rolled onto his side and shoved himself to his hands and knees so he could crawl to the spot Luffy had made for him. Once there, he flopped down onto the mats, pressing his face into the pillow with a soft sigh of relief.

"Is it good?" Luffy chirped, giving a smile bright enough to light up the whole forest.

"Yeah," Ace mumbled, reaching out to blindly pat Luffy on the arm. "Now go away, I'm gonna sleep."

"Shishishi!" Luffy turned his smile to Sabo, looking so proud of himself the blond just wanted to wrap him up in hugs and never let go. He settled for smiling back and opening his arms, allowing Luffy to jump into them. While they embraced, Ace stole a glance at them and seemed to relax, a fond look briefly crossing his features.

* * *

"Sabo! Sabo!"

The blond boy opened his eyes, a low groan escaping as he tried to focus in the darkness. The first thing he saw was Luffy's panicked face. The younger boy was hovering over him with tears and snot dripping freely down onto his cheeks.

"Luffy?" he mumbled groggily, sitting up and pushing Luffy so he was no longer looming over him. He absently wiped his cheek off, focusing more on why Luffy was panicking. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong with Ace!" Luffy wailed. "He's really sicker!"

"He's…" Sabo woke up instantly, eyes alert and focusing on Ace. They'd given Ace their blankets - Luffy had insisted on letting him use all three, and Sabo had complied in the hopes it would help his fever break - and fallen asleep on either side of him with Luffy draped halfway over Ace's stomach.

The freckled boy was panting, pale face twisted in pain and cheeks an unhealthy shade of red. His skin was damp from sweat and the blankets were practically soaked with it.

"Sabo, you said he wasn't dying!" Luffy accused. His loud crying wasn't waking Ace, and Sabo recognized that as a bad sign.

"He's not dying," Sabo responded, keeping his voice steady as he reached out to feel Ace's forehead.

"Then why isn't he answering?" Luffy grasped at Ace's shoulder, shaking him. "Ace, why won't you answer?"

"Luffy, quit it," Sabo snapped, startling the younger boy. He instantly regretted snapping, but there was no use worrying over it. "He needs to rest, so don't disturb him."

"O-okay," Luffy stammered, pulling his hand back and looking at Sabo through his tears.

After replacing the damp cloth they'd put over Ace's forehead before bed, Sabo pursed his lips. If it had been a simple fever, rest and fluids should have been enough. Watching Ace writhe in pain, he was beginning to suspect it was a virus of some kind. They'd need medicine, and not the kind of medicine they had just lying around.

"Luffy," Sabo murmured after a moment. "I have an important job for you."

"What is it?" Luffy asked, still struggling to hold back tears.

"I'm going to go get some medicine for Ace to help him feel better," Sabo answered, "and I need you to stay here to keep him company."

"But…" Luffy faltered, clearly torn between wanting to help and wanting to stay with Ace.

"We don't want to leave Ace alone, right?" Sabo asked, pulling his shoes on and grabbing his pipe, just in case. "This is really important, Luffy. I need you to be here in case pirates attack, or in case Ace wakes up and doesn't want to be alone."

Luffy fidgeted, then wiped at his eyes and nodded, sniffling. "Okay. I'll protect Ace and make sure he's not alone. And he's really, _really_ not dying?"

"He's really, _really_ not dying," Sabo promised. "Don't let him hear you say that, either. You know he'll get mad,"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded and sat next to Ace, intently focusing on his flushed, freckled face.

"Don't disturb him," Sabo instructed, heading for the exit. "Don't wake him up, and don't try to move him, okay? I'll be _right back!"_

"Okay!" Luffy called back to him.

Sabo wasn't sure how much Luffy understood, but as long as Luffy kept with the basic instructions, it was likely Ace wouldn't be in worse shape by the time he returned.

* * *

He knocked again, louder this time, and he didn't stop until he heard the telltale sound of footsteps coming closer.

"What the hell do you want, you damn brat?!"

The door swung open, and despite the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach, Sabo wanted to smile at the sight of her. She was tired, disheveled, and clearly in no mood to be disturbed, but she didn't slam the door in his face when she saw it was him.

"Hi Dadan," he greeted casually. "Do you have any medicine for someone who's sick?"

She opened her mouth like she might snap at him, only to pause as the words registered. Sabo could tell she thought she was hiding it, but she saw the flicker of concern in her eyes. "One of you brats is sick?"

"Ace is," Sabo explained. "He tried to hide it and collapsed today, and his fever got worse tonight. Luffy's watching him now."

Dadan grumbled wordlessly at him, then yanked him into the house and shut the door behind him. He only stumbled once, nearly tripping, but noted she didn't let go of his arm until he'd regained his footing.

"Sit down," she barked, before loudly calling out for Magra.

Sabo did as instructed, watching with relief as Dadan ordered the sleepy bandit to mix some medicine for Ace. Dogra had also awoken, and upon being spotted, Dadan put him to work too. He didn't question what was going into the medicine or how they were supposed to know exactly what to make - if they needed information, they'd ask, and he trusted Dadan not to be careless in serious matters.

Once Magra and Dogra were started on the medicine, a grumbling Dadan went to work making soup. Every single bandit was awake and getting her anything she needed, and while they all seemed rather disgruntled at being woken in the middle of the night, Sabo caught more than a few of them giving him a cheerful wave, like they were happy to see him.

He couldn't help but smile a little. They may have moved out, and he wouldn't trade his home with his brothers for the world, but it was nice to feel welcomed and accepted.

"How long has he been sick, brat?"

Sabo jumped at the sound of Dadan's voice, heat spreading over his cheeks as he realized he'd been spacing out. "Just the day, I think," he answered. "He seemed fine this morning."

"That moron," Dadan muttered. "He never speaks up when he's sick. He just falls over."

"Does he get sick often?" Sabo questioned, wracking his brain to try and remember if there had been times in the past where Ace had seemed under the weather.

"No," Dadan snorted. "Only a few times."

Sabo fidgeted, watching the steam rise from the soup she was making. "I've been sick a lot before."

"You? Doesn't surprise me."

"Because you know where I'm from, right?" Sabo guessed. He continued once he heard an affirmative grunt. "In High Town, when you get sick, they just seal you off in your room and give you fancy medicine. I was thinking about it earlier today, since Luffy said he's never been sick. The Nobles do so much to keep 'unclean' people out of the city, they don't get exposed to a lot of illnesses. Bodies build up immunities through exposure, right? But when someone starts acting even a little sick, they get whisked away from the public."

He felt Dadan's gaze on him, but continued anyway. "Out of the three of us, Luffy's had the most exposure to diversity. Villagers, marines, pirates, bandits - ah, not you guys, the ones that he met in Windmill Village - and Makino-san probably took care of his nutrition and vitamins when he was growing up, so it's not a surprise he's got better immunities."

"Anyone ever tell you you think too much?" Dadan spoke finally.

Sabo cracked a grin. "They force us to study a lot over there."

"Doesn't suit you," Dadan muttered.

"Thanks," Sabo answered, understanding that she wasn't insulting his intelligence or education, but rather commenting on the way he'd received it. He fidgeted, daring a glance at her face and smiling at the flicker of softness he saw in her eyes. It was gone in an instant, but he was positive he'd seen it. "Hey, Dadan?"

"Nn?" she acknowledged without facing him.

"If whatever Ace has is contagious, I'm probably going to catch it," answered Sabo. "I think Luffy will be okay, but Ace isn't as patient with him, and Luffy has no idea how to handle either of us being ill. Can you just make sure they're still doing okay in a few days?"

"Why should I care, brat?" Dadan muttered, stirring the soup like it had personally offended her. A small amount sloshed over the side, making the hot coals hiss.

"I won't tell them you're the one who set off our traps."

"You little shit!" Dadan growled, cheeks reddening. "You-how-that's-!"

Sabo grinned rather cheekily at her. "I said I won't tell. Thanks, Dadan!"

"Oh shut your trap already!" Dadan swore, stabbing at the soup with the ladle now.

Sabo remained silent after that, just smiling to himself as the residents of his home away from home continued to scurry about to help his sick brother.

* * *

"SABO!"

Sabo had prepared himself for a greeting from a frantic Luffy, so he wasn't fazed when the younger boy appeared in front of him the moment he stepped back into the treehouse. Luffy's pawing hands tugged at his shirt, and he shifted the sealed jar of soup out of the way. "What's wrong, Luffy?"

"Ace is crying!" Luffy explained through frantic tears. "I tried to cheer him up and I tried to make him feel better, but he's not listening to me!"

 _Crying?_ Sabo did his best not to let surprise show on his face as he approached Ace, dragging Luffy along at his side. The freckled boy was indeed crying where he lay, his face a perfect portrait of anguish. His hair was still damp, although the overturned bucket and soggy rag near the pillows told Sabo that Luffy had probably gotten too enthusiastic with the damp cloth.

"I got some medicine for him," Sabo promised Luffy, tugging him to sit down next to him. "Ssh, Luffy. He's going to be okay."

"I-I'm not worried about him," Luffy lied through his tears, giving Sabo such a pleading look that the blond almost forgot about helping Ace to try and soothe him.

He managed to keep his focus, reaching into the bag Dadan had given him and withdrawing the bottle of medicine. She'd muttered something about there being enough in case anyone else got sick, then told him to get lost.

 _That's really what a mom is like, huh?_ he couldn't help but wonder as he managed to get a dose of medicine into Ace's mouth without spilling any. Dadan might not have been anyone's ideal woman or mother, but she cared, _really cared_ about them, and that was enough for Sabo. That made her ideal no matter what anyone else said.

"Where did you get medicine?" Luffy asked, still hiccupping and sniffling. He kept wiping his face on his shirt, which had become one giant mass of tears and snot.

"I found it," Sabo lied, since he knew Dadan didn't want him telling. "I also found some soup for Ace to make him feel better. There's extra if you want some."

"I'll have some mystery soup, please," Luffy agreed, nodding.

Sabo smiled when Luffy didn't even question it, replacing the lid on the bottle and setting it aside for later. He figured he'd just put it with their other medical supplies in the morning.

"Ace, are you awake?" Sabo prodded. "I have some soup for you."

Ace opened his eyes, but Sabo could tell right away he wasn't aware of his surroundings, and probably couldn't even see them.

"Ace," Luffy got closer, draping himself on Ace's chest a little. "Ace, are you all better now? Sabo gave you mystery medicine, and we have mystery soup!"

"Luffy, it'll take time," Sabo chided gently. "You can't crowd him."

"Oh," Luffy huffed, backing off a little. He didn't get very far before Ace's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, halting him.

"Ace?" Sabo asked hesitantly.

"Ace?" Luffy echoed, his expression bright.

"Don't go," Ace whispered. His eyes were focused on Luffy's face, and there was a desperation in his eyes that Sabo had never seen before. It made his stomach twist uneasily. "Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere," Luffy answered. "But Sabo said I can't crowd you."

"Please don't go," Ace whispered, fresh tears welling up in his unfocused eyes. "Don't hate me!"

"Ace!" Luffy expressed his dismay verbally, while Sabo's was written all over his face. "Why would I hate my brother?" Ignoring Sabo's reprimand about crowding, which seemed to be for the best anyway, Luffy shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Ace. He pressed his face against Ace's chest, right over his heart as he held on tight.

"Everyone…" Ace's breathing was heavy again, his trembling arms wrapping around Luffy and holding on just as tightly. "Everyone always…"

Sabo watched them in silence, his heart aching for his proud, stubborn brother. He'd never asked Ace about the days when he'd shown up too injured to do any hunting or pilfering. He'd heard enough of the rumors to know what was going on, and when he'd finally gotten Ace to admit to his lineage, he'd started to understand the hatred underlying so many of Ace's actions and expressions.

They hadn't told Luffy about it - Sabo was positive Luffy would find it awesome, while pissing Ace off even more - but even though it had been a long time since Ace had gone picking fights and questioning his own worth, he'd known his freckled brother still carried the wounds in his heart.

Watching Ace clutch at Luffy in his feverish state, knowing the other boy probably wouldn't even remember doing it, caused an intense feeling of protective love to rise in his chest. He didn't want Ace to ever question his own worth again, or fear that he didn't deserve to be loved. He caught it sometimes in the way Ace studied Luffy, as if wondering how he could possibly be worthy of Luffy's unconditional and endless supply of love.

It wasn't like Sabo hadn't wondered the same thing himself, but he'd come to accept it over time. He wondered if Ace would ever stop struggling with it.

"Who cares about 'everyone'?" Luffy huffed, snuggling a little closer and closing his eyes. "I love my brothers, and I'll never hate Ace or Sabo."

"Luffy," Sabo murmured, smiling softly. He looked to Ace again, and his smile warmed even more if at all possible when he saw the look of raw emotion in Ace's eyes.

Tears dripped freely into Luffy's hair, and Ace's grip tightened enough that it probably would have hurt anyone who _wasn't_ made of rubber, but Luffy's smile was as bright as the sun and it chased away years of demons and doubts, even if only for the night.

"Ace," Sabo spoke up after a moment, his voice soft. "You'll always have us. That's why we're brothers."

The rest of the tension drained out of Ace's shoulders. When he finally released Luffy, the younger boy grabbed the soggy rag to pat at Ace's forehead, pleased with himself for being able to help.

"Let's get him some soup now," Sabo suggested. "He needs us to help him though, okay?"

"Okay," Luffy agreed. "Ne, Sabo? I only want some mystery soup if there's enough for Ace to have what he needs first, okay?"

Sabo's heart swelled again - because _Luffy_ was declining a chance to eat for Ace's sake - and he smiled. "Okay."

* * *

Luffy was still asleep when Ace awoke in the morning. His feet were draped over Ace's chest, one inching dangerously close to his mouth, but Sabo did nothing to move him despite having been awake for a while.

"Ugh," Ace pushed Luffy's legs away from his face, sitting up and rolling his shoulders.

"Morning, sunshine," Sabo joked. "How do you feel?"

"I don't want to answer that," Ace muttered, peeling his shirt off in disgust.

"Your fever broke last night after you had some medicine and soup. Luffy watched over you."

"Then I'll consider it a miracle I'm still alive," Ace responded dryly. "I don't remember what happened after dinner."

"Nothing eventful," Sabo lied nonchalantly. "Luffy thought you were dying, but you were really nice to him and let him cling, so he feels better now."

"Where did you get medicine?" Ace asked. "Or soup."

"What if I told you it was a mystery?"

Ace shot him an unamused look, which only made Sabo grin in response. "Well, whatever. I need to go for a swim, though. I feel gross."

"You look pretty gross too. And you smell," Sabo added thoughtfully. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll stay with Luffy until it's time to go get breakfast?"

"Thanks," Ace picked himself up and grimaced again when a lock of hair fell over his forehead. It was matted and sweaty. "Hey, Sabo?"

"Hm?"

"I didn't say anything last night, did I? It's a blur, but I remember having some… some bad dreams," he finished lamely, clearly embarrassed to admit it.

"You said some stuff, but nothing really new," Sabo answered, choosing his words carefully. "Don't worry about it."

Ace hesitated like he might press for more, or even argue about the importance of anything he might have said, but Luffy mumbling about robots in his sleep had Ace sighing and turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Sabo took one of the blankets and draped it over Luffy, letting the younger boy sleep in a little longer. Sabo had woken much earlier to keep an eye on Ace and put the medicine away, and had heard both boys mumbling in their sleep. Luffy's ramblings had been mostly incoherent and whimsical, but Ace had called out for both of his brothers. Sabo knew they had a long way to go before Ace felt comfortable and secure, but he intended to make sure it happened.

It was a good thing Luffy could heal the scars in Ace's heart so effortlessly, because even after five years of companionship, Sabo still struggled to say what Ace needed to hear. He wasn't ashamed to admit it, either. His pride would never be more important to him than the happiness of his brothers.

Sabo moved to wake Luffy up a little while later, hearing Ace making his way back up the tree, but a wave of dizziness hit him when he stood. He put one hand against the wall, steadying himself and bringing his other hand up to feel his forehead.

"Bloody hell."

Sometimes, he hated being right.

* * *

 **A/N: *slumps* And yes, Sabo is referring to the fact that he caught whatever Ace had at the end there. Also yes, that is going to be the next chapter. :3**

 **Thank you so much for your patience, and thank you to everyone who gave me well-wishes for my ear infection drama! The good news is, I haven't fallen down the stairs yet, and I can finally hear out of my ear again!**

 **To my lovely guest reviewer on chapter 9,**

 **sent: Kyaaaah thank you so much ^.^ I'm so happy to see how much people are enjoying this. I'm really enjoying writing it, especially since it's still in the 'fluff' stage where I don't have to cry buckets due to sticking to canon.**

 **~Mithril**


	11. Mystery

**A/N: I am become death.**

 **lol but seriously, thank you everyone for your patience, your lovely,**

 ** _lovely_** **reviews, and all the support! Kyah!**

 **Quick note, back when I did the chapter where Sabo and Ace told Luffy the story of Momotaro, I had no idea about One Piece Party. It was a pure coincidence and I'm still laughing about it. Thanks to the people who mentioned it to me, and showed me where to find it so I could read it. It was ADORABLE!**

 **I'm contemplating moving my update day to Thursday since I raid on FFXIV on the weekends now and it doesn't leave me much time to write… we'll see! Enjoy a ridiculous amount of fluff!**

 **Major thanks to Beyond Kailani, again, for the last minute rush of beta'ing my ridiculousness xD I dwell in darkness without you. (It's not going away!)**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil. I DWELL IN DARKNESS WITHOUT YOU, TOO!**

* * *

 _Chapter 11: Mystery_

* * *

"And I practiced, see? Look! Sabo? Are you still awake? Did you fall asleep? Are you sleeping now?"

Sabo's eyes fluttered open, and the sight had Luffy beaming happily, holding the piece of paper inches from his blond brother's face. They were alone in the treehouse for the second day in a row, and so far Luffy had done everything he could possibly think of to keep Sabo happy and entertained so he wouldn't feel sad or get worse.

"Yeah," Sabo rasped, giving a smile that didn't quite look right to Luffy. He set the paper down - it was covered in his absolute _best_ handwriting to make a sign that told Sabo to feel better, along with multiple drawings of Sabo as an _awesome_ robot - and grabbed the rag from Sabo's forehead. "Luffy, you don't need to-"

Luffy smiled, cutting him off. "This'll help!" He knew he didn't _need_ to, but he wanted to make Sabo feel better, so he dipped the rag into the basin of water near the sleeping mats, then plopped it back on Sabo's forehead. "I want Sabo to feel better."

"Thanks, Luffy," Sabo sighed, closing his eyes. "I think I'm going to go back to sleep."

"Oh, you need to sleep?" Luffy asked. "Do you want medicine first?"

"No more medicine," Sabo groaned. His skin seemed to go pale, making Luffy frown and lean over him.

"Doesn't the medicine help?" Luffy asked.

"Not if you take too much of it," Sabo answered, opening his eyes to look at Luffy again. "I've had enough today, I promise. Please don't give me any more."

"Okay," Luffy agreed, leaning back on his heels. He'd been sitting beside Sabo's sleeping mat for the better part of the morning, hunched over a piece of paper with the quill Sabo had given him for lessons. He'd spilled a bit of ink, but Sabo had sleepily promised him the stains on the floor weren't a big deal.

He fidgeted, looking to the paper he'd been practicing on, then turning to look at Sabo again. He didn't like it when his brothers were sick. Sick wasn't something they could beat up, and Luffy wasn't sure how he could help in such situations. He didn't like how pale both his brothers had looked, and he _really_ didn't like that being sick had made Ace scared of being hated.

In his opinion, it was the dumbest part of being sick. Why would Ace ever feel hated when he had two awesome brothers who loved him?

He didn't know what he'd do if being sick caused Sabo to feel the same way, but Ace had tasked him with taking care of Sabo while he hunted, and that was what he was going to do.

"Sabo?"

Sabo twitched, making Luffy worry that something was wrong, but then his brother was opening his eyes again, and Luffy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Luffy?" Sabo asked.

"Don't ever worry about being hated," Luffy told him, trying to imitate the stern tone Sabo used whenever he gave Luffy important instructions. "Because, you're my brother, and me and Ace will always love you."

Sabo blinked, clearly taken by surprise, which made Luffy's smile widen. He hadn't been sure if Sabo needed to hear it, but when the blond smiled up at him, it made him glad he'd done it.

"Thanks, Luffy."

"Shishishi," Luffy giggled, feeling utterly pleased with himself. "Anytime!" He plopped himself down beside Sabo, lying with his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. "Do you want me to tell you a story? It's kind of boring up here isn't it?"

"I don't need a story," Sabo promised. "I just want to sleep."

"Oh, okay. Hey, Sabo? What should I do? Ace said I had to take care of you, but I'm not doing anything."

"Just… just go keep a lookout for intruders, but _don't_ leave the treehouse," Sabo groaned, and Luffy was immediately worried his brother was in pain from the tone of his voice.

"Do you want me to-"

"Nope," Sabo cut him off quickly, before smiling again. Luffy couldn't help but think it looked slightly strange, but it was a smile and that was better than any other expression on Sabo's face.

Pushing back the nagging feeling that something about it was weird, Luffy smiled in response and pushed himself up, heading over to the various windows to keep an eye on the forest. Ace had only been gone for half an hour. At least he thought it was half an hour, but the last three times he'd asked, Sabo had seemed unhappy about answering, leading Luffy to believe he missed Ace and didn't want to be reminded that the freckled boy wasn't there.

"Sa-" he started to call out to Sabo to tell him he was bored and no one was coming, but the sound of Sabo's quiet snoring seemed to interrupt him, making him turn to look. Sabo was in fact sleeping, arms splayed out from under the blankets and mouth open. The wet cloth Luffy had put on his forehead was sliding off.

Sucking in his lower lip to stop from making a sound and waking him, Luffy made his way back over and carefully put Sabo's arms back at his sides, pulling the blanket up to his chin to tuck him in. He moved the cloth back into place as well, frowning when he noticed how much Sabo's cheeks had reddened. Ace had said something about Sabo's skin feeling warm, but Luffy honestly couldn't tell the difference when he touched him. He'd placed his cheek against Sabo's for a while earlier to see if it really did feel warmer, but Sabo had pushed him away while groggily mumbling about rubber and conductors.

It was still a mystery to Luffy, but Sabo seemed to know what it meant, so he didn't question it, just accepting that he didn't need to keep touching Sabo's skin.

"Ace said to take care of Sabo," Luffy repeated the same words he'd been telling himself whenever he got anxious about whether or not he was doing a good job or if Sabo felt like he was being taken care of correctly. He _had_ to do a good job, since his brothers were always taking care of him, and Sabo had praised him for watching Ace a few nights earlier. That meant he'd done it correctly before, and he had to make sure not to mess up this time.

He was still uneasy about the fact that Ace had gotten better in one day, while Sabo had been sick for a whole two days straight. Even the mystery medicine didn't seem to be helping him the way it had helped Ace, and when the freckled boy brought them food, Sabo barely ate any of it.

"Oi, Luffy!"

Luffy jumped, a wide smile stretching across his face at the sound of Ace's voice. He pushed himself to his feet and hurried to the door, pausing only briefly at the memory of Sabo telling him not to leave the treehouse. It was _Ace_ calling for him though, and there was no way Sabo would be upset with him for going outside to greet their brother. That thought in mind, Luffy continued forward, pushing the curtain aside and looking for the source. "Ace!" he exclaimed upon seeing him on one of the nearby branches. He hurried over, the smell of roasted meat assaulting his senses and causing him to get distracted from his intention to hug his freckled brother and drool a little.

"Ssh!" Ace smacked him over the head, but it did little more than cause him to stumble. The older boy was standing next to a large portion of roasted boar, but it didn't look like he'd brought the usual amount. "I'm going to the village, so I need you to watch Sabo on your own today, okay?"

"The village?" Luffy tore his eyes from the succulent meat to stare at Ace. "How come?"

"Sabo's not getting better, and we're almost out of that medicine," Ace explained. "We can't make soup up here, and Sabo's not eating what I'm bringing. He keeps giving it to you."

"I'm not taking it away from him!" Luffy promised immediately, almost shouting. "I told Sabo he should eat it, but he-"

"I know! Ssh!" Ace smacked him again, and that time, it hurt.

"Ow!"

"Look, Sabo needs to get some rest," Ace sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. "I'm trusting you to stay here with him and make sure he's okay, but _don't_ disturb him. Let him sleep."

"Oh," Luffy rubbed his sore head - seriously, he was rubber, so how come Ace's hits sometimes hurt like little Fists of Love? - and nodded to show he understood. "But how will he eat?"

"He isn't eating the meat, you are," Ace said, motioning to the portion, which was small for two people, but much more than Luffy got for just himself. The drool started to escape his mouth, and Ace rolled his eyes on response. "I got this for you, so make sure not to bother Sabo, okay? I'll get you something else later tonight, _after_ I get back."

"Thank you!" Luffy cried, launching himself at Ace and hugging him tightly.

"Okay, okay! Get off me and go eat it so you can get back to watching Sabo!" Ace hissed, shoving at the younger boy's face.

It was only the reminder that there was meat waiting to be eaten that had Luffy letting go, rushing over to enjoy his food while Ace headed inside to check on Sabo. It was harder to get boar these days, what with the weather being colder and a lot of the forest animals making themselves scarce. More often than not, they wound up with fish or crocodile - which wasn't bad - but Luffy had missed the gamey meat, and each bite was more delicious than the last.

He was just barely finishing by the time Ace came back out, licking the bones and his hands clean. The freckled boy looked a little annoyed, but it was already too late for Luffy to share any meat with him, which he tried to communicate with his full mouth. Ace cut him off before he could get very far.

"I don't want any meat, I'm not hungry right now," Ace sighed. "Luffy, were you pouring water on him or something?"

Luffy blinked, swallowing the rest of his lunch and wiping his mouth off on his arm. "No, I was putting the cloth on his forehead like you told me to."

"You're supposed to get the cloth wet, wring it out, _then_ put it on his forehead. You don't want to just drop a wet rag on his face," Ace groaned.

"Oh," Luffy bit his lip. "I messed up?"

Ace sighed again, then shook his head. "Just, from now on, only change it when it's warm and barely damp, okay? It's supposed to help keep his forehead cool."

"Okay," Luffy nodded. "And he said not to give him more medicine. Is that right?"

"Don't feed him _anything_ while he's asleep, got it?"

"Okay, but-"

"Don't. Feed. Him. Anything. While. He's. Asleep," Ace said in a very stern voice that had the hairs on the back of Luffy's neck standing up.

"Okay," Luffy gulped, nodding vigorously. "You'll hurry back, right?"

"Yeah, I'll try not to take too long," Ace promised. "Don't wander off."

Luffy nodded, but he made no move to go back inside, studying Ace carefully.

Ace noticed him looking and frowned, putting one hand on his hip. "What? I have to hurry if you want me to make it back in time for dinner."

"I'm glad you're my brother," Luffy told him earnestly. He didn't know if Ace was still sick at all, but just in case, he wanted to do his best to make Ace feel better again. When Ace stared at him, he simply smiled brightly to show he truly meant it.

Redness spread over Ace's cheeks immediately, but before Luffy could worry that he'd somehow gotten sick all over again, Ace muttered about Luffy being an idiot and barked at him to go keep an eye on Sabo. He jumped down off the branch before Luffy could say anything else.

Confused, but satisfied that Ace had to be okay if he was calling him an idiot and jumping around like that, Luffy headed back inside to sit by Sabo again. The blond looked to be sleeping comfortably, and while Luffy was happy to see him sleeping, he couldn't help feeling a little lonely with nobody to talk to and share things with.

It didn't help that eating had given him energy, and he wanted to practice some of his fighting moves. For a very brief moment, he contemplated practicing at the base of the tree so he wouldn't disturb Sabo, but Ace's stern words echoed in his head. He was supposed to take care of Sabo, and he _wasn't_ supposed to wander off.

Even if it was boring, Sabo needed someone nearby in case he woke up lonely or needed anything, and Luffy was utterly determined to be there at the slightest indication that Sabo was upset.

* * *

"There, there," Luffy murmured, gently patting Sabo's shoulder. A soft gasp escaped when Sabo actually groaned in response, causing him to soften his voice to a tiny whisper. "I mean, there there, Sabo. Sorry, was I loud? Ace said not to wake you up…"

When Sabo didn't answer, Luffy sagged in relief. It had only been a couple of hours since he'd seen Ace, but it felt like weeks. Sabo hadn't woken up once.

Pursing his lips, Luffy looked to the cloth, touching it experimentally. It didn't seem warm, but it had been a while since he'd changed it.

"I'm _not_ pouring water on him," Luffy mumbled out loud as he soaked the cloth again, this time wringing it out before he placed it back on Sabo's forehead.

The sound of something thudding against the tree had him sitting up straight, then springing into action to grab his pipe and fight off any intruders. Adrenaline coursed through his body. There hadn't been any pirate attacks while Ace had been sick, and so far no one had bothered them while Sabo had been sick, but Luffy was prepared for anything.

He slid along the wall with as much stealth as he could manage, pulling back the curtain to peer outside, only to find himself staring right into a stranger's wide brown eyes. For a moment, they could only blink at each other, before Luffy yelped and jumped backwards, dropping his pipe.

"Oi!" the voice was really familiar, which caused Luffy to hesitate in picking the pipe back up as they pushed the curtain back to look inside.

"Dadan?" Luffy questioned.

"What? No! What gave you that idea, brat? I'm uh, I'm…"

Luffy blinked as her, or possibly his, face came into view. They sounded like Dadan, and they even looked similar, but they wore glasses, had a larger nose, and a big black mustache. It couldn't be Dadan; Dadan didn't have any of those things.

"I'm a friend of Dadan's," the stranger declared suddenly. "And she said there might be some brats in the forest who need medicine and soup, but she didn't care at all."

"Oh, that sounds like Dadan," Luffy agreed, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Uh… Nadad."

"Hi Nadad! I'm Luffy, and this is my brother, Sabo-ah! We're supposed to be quiet!" he gasped, covering his mouth with both hands.

Nadad sighed, climbing the rest of the way into the treehouse and setting a large jar on the floor. She set a bag next to it, and while Luffy knew Dadan wouldn't send any bad friends their way, he still shifted closer to Sabo, ready to protect him.

"Sabo's sick," he explained quietly. "So we can't disturb him. Ace said he needed to sleep, and we can't feed him while he's sleeping."

"It's okay, I'm uh, a doctor. Yeah, I'm a doctor, and I've decided to help make Sabo feel better," Nadad said.

"Oh, you're a doctor?" Luffy's eyes lit up in delight. "Thank you! Sabo's been sick a lot longer than Ace was, and we're almost out of medicine."

"Luffy?" Sabo mumbled, shifting at the commotion.

"Ah! Sabo, go back to sleep! I'm sorry for being loud!" Luffy yelped.

Despite looking miserable, Sabo started to laugh softly. "It's fine, I'm awake… I heard voices…" he opened his eyes and shifted sluggishly. "Is Dadan here?"

"No," Luffy looked to Nadad, who seemed very tense. "Dadan's friend came though. He's a doctor named Nadad!"

"I'm a woman, you little brat!" Nadad snapped, hitting him upside the head.

"Oh, sorry!" Luffy laughed sheepishly.

"Nadad, huh?" Sabo asked, looking at the strange doctor shrewdly. "Well, Dadan told me about her, and we can trust her, okay Luffy? But next time, be more careful. Anyone can just say they're a doctor or a friend, but they might be lying."

"Oh," Luffy bit his lip. "I didn't think about that."

Nadad grumbled under her breath, taking a bowl out of the bag she'd brought and opening the top of the jar. The delicious scent of soup filled the treehouse.

"That smells just like the mystery soup we gave Ace!" Luffy looked to Nadad with wide eyes. "Were you the one who left us the mystery soup before?"

"Uh, sure," Nadad said, filling one of the bowls with soup and handing it to Luffy. "Here, eat this."

"I'm not sick though," Luffy protested, despite already reaching for the bowl. "Shouldn't Sabo have it?"

"I'll give him some soup too," Nadad grumbled. "So just shut up and eat it."

"Okay!" Luffy agreed happily. Despite having delicious soup to keep him busy, Luffy made sure to keep an eye on Sabo and Nadad just in case. She was a strange lady - he didn't know any ladies who had mustaches - but her touch was very gentle as she helped Sabo into a sitting position to feed him the soup.

"Where's Ace?" Sabo asked after he'd finished half the soup in his bowl. His breathing was labored and his cheeks were still flushed, but the food didn't make him turn green or get sick, which filled Luffy with relief.

"He went to the village to get medicine," Luffy answered. "He's trusting me to take care of you, Sabo."

"He is, huh?" Sabo smiled. "Thanks, Luffy."

Luffy finished the rest of his soup with a giant slurp, then set the bowl down and beamed at Sabo. "You don't feel lonely, right?"

"Why would I feel lonely?" Sabo asked, wincing as Nadad checked his temperature and grumbled, propping him against her leg while she rummaged around in the bag.

"Ace got really sad, remember?" Luffy asked. "I thought Sabo might get sad too."

"So that's what got into you earlier," Sabo smiled at him, a soft look appearing in his eyes. Luffy knew that look well, because Sabo never showed it to anyone but his brothers, and it always made Luffy feel happy. "Thanks, Luffy."

"Okay, drink this," Nadad muttered, interrupting them and bringing a spoon to Sabo's lips.

"Is that medicine? Ace said not to give him more medicine!" Luffy yelped, jumping to his feet.

"It's a different kind of medicine," Nadad grunted, looking pleased when Sabo took it without question. "Don't worry, brat. I'm not trying to make him sicker."

Luffy fidgeted, but Sabo seemed okay, so he sat back down and reminded himself that Nadad was a doctor. "Will Sabo get better now, Nadad?"

"He should," Nadad answered gruffly, giving Sabo some water and then laying him back on his mat. "I don't need the rest of this soup so I'll just leave it here with you."

"Thanks!" Luffy smiled brightly at her. "You look really mean and kinda weird, but you're really nice!"

"Sh-shut it, brat!" Nadad stammered.

Luffy giggled in response, because her cheeks were reddening just like Ace's did when he was flustered.

"Thanks for coming to check on us," Sabo murmured, drawing their attention back to him. "It means a lot to me."

"I wasn't worried or anything!" Nadad snapped, turning away. "I just don't like having sick kids in the forest!"

"I don't like 'sick'," Luffy agreed, looking to Nadad. "Thank you for helping my brother. You're a nice mystery doctor."

"You damn brats!" Nadad's chin quivered, and then she was turning away to rub at her eyes. "I'm not crying! This place is filthy and the dust got in my eyes!"

"Oh, I can clean while Sabo's sleeping!" Luffy realized, jumping to his feet. "Sabo, is that okay?"

"That's fine, Luffy," Sabo chuckled, grinning brightly. "I feel better already."

"Yay!" Luffy cheered, impulsively stretching his arms to hug the strange doctor. "You made Sabo better already! Ace is gonna be so happy when he gets back!"

Nadad stiffened, then began stammering and cursing, peeling Luffy off of her and making a run for it. He landed on his rear, bouncing a few times, before blinking at the empty space where she'd been.

"Oh, she left fast," Luffy commented, perplexed. "Do you think she had to go find any other sick people?"

"Maybe," Sabo laughed. "Don't worry about it, Luffy. She left the soup if you want some more."

"I'll wait for Ace to come home," Luffy decided. "Do you want more? You didn't finish."

"I'll try to finish it when Ace gets back," Sabo promised, closing his eyes. "I'm going back to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Luffy made his way over to the mat, plopping himself down for a moment and inching closer until he was right next to his brother.

"Luffy?" Sabo questioned.

Luffy very carefully reached out to give him a hug. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," Sabo murmured, gently patting Luffy's back.

When Luffy got up to try and clean, Sabo curled up on his side, falling asleep quickly. Luffy made sure not to bump into him or make too much noise, periodically going to the windows to look for intruders or mystery doctors.

* * *

"Oi, Luffy, wake up already!" Ace's voice was irritated.

"We could just let him sleep," Makino's voice was amused, but the fact that he was hearing Makino at all had Luffy sitting up and blinking.

They were blurry at first, but when he finally rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of Makino kneeling beside them, Ace standing on her left with his hands on his hips.

"Ah, Makino!" Luffy cried, launching himself at her in a hug.

"Hi," Makino answered, returning his hug with a smile.

"You were supposed to be watching for intruders," Ace admonished. "What if we were pirates?"

Luffy drooped a little, but then he looked to Ace in determination. "I would have woken up," he said simply.

"Idiot," Ace sighed.

"It's okay," Sabo mumbled, yawning. "I was only napping. I would have woken up too."

"Sabo-kun, how are you feeling?" Makino asked.

Luffy let go of her to twist and look at Sabo again. After cleaning as much as he could, he'd gone back to doodling next to Sabo, eventually curling up next to him to relax. He remembered draping himself carefully over Sabo's chest, listening to the sound of his brother's heartbeat like a natural lullaby. He hadn't _meant_ to fall asleep, but it had been too comfortable to resist.

"Much better," Sabo answered, smiling at them. "Luffy took really good care of me, and we had a visitor."

"A visitor?" Ace asked suspiciously, eyes on the jar Luffy had moved to their dried food supplies.

"A mystery doctor named Nadad!" Luffy explained, beaming at Ace. He was in high spirits from hearing Sabo say he'd taken good care of him. "She knew Dadan! She looked a lot like Dadan too, but she had a big mustache and glasses, and a big nose."

Makino covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a giggle.

"Mustaches _are_ funny, aren't they?" Luffy asked Makino, nodding sagely to show he agreed. He didn't know what else she could be laughing at.

"Jeez," Ace muttered, cheeks reddening. "That's where the soup and medicine came from?"

Sabo chuckled as well. "She left extra this time."

"How thoughtful of her," Makino said, still laughing softly.

"So, what are you doing here, Makino?" Luffy asked, turning his attention back to her.

"When Ace-kun told me Sabo-kun was sick, I wanted to see if I could help," Makino answered. "And I had new clothes for all of you, anyway. It's getting colder now, so I brought longer shirts and jackets."

"Thank you, Makino!" Luffy cried.

Makino laughed again, looking pleased at his reaction. "I thought I'd stay the night and make sure Sabo-kun is really feeling better."

"We don't have an extra bed though," Sabo said, looking worried.

"It's alright, I've slept on the ground before, and I brought a blanket for myself," Makino promised. "I'll be fine."

"She said she's fine with it," Ace shrugged helplessly. "And, well… you weren't getting better, Sabo."

"But he's better now," Luffy said with a nod.

"Well he wasn't when I left, so shut up," Ace muttered, looking away.

"Ace's cheeks are red again," Luffy told Sabo, who snickered.

"Luffy!" Ace glared at him, but they'd all figured out by now that Ace wouldn't do anything if Makino was around. Luffy giggled, glad to see Sabo laughing and Ace no longer looking worried.

"Oh!" Luffy jumped up, bouncing on his heels. "I know! Why don't we all eat dinner, and then Makino can tell us a story?"

"A story?" Makino echoed.

"Uh-huh! When I was scared a while ago, Ace and Sabo told me a story about a really cool guy named Momotaro and his robot army, and it made me feel better! Sabo's always reading about dragons, so maybe Makino can tell us a story about dragons to make Sabo feel even _better_ than he feels now?" Luffy suggested.

"Momotaro and his robot army?" Makino echoed, before covering her mouth with her hand to laugh. "I would have loved to have heard that version."

Ace muttered something under his breath, fidgeting, while Sabo just gave a sheepish grin and propped himself up. Luffy quickly hurried over to help Sabo sit up.

"Alright," Makino said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Ace-kun, do you want to get the soup I brought? We'll eat that since it's still warm, and if anyone's still hungry, we can heat up what doctor… Nadan? left."

Ace nodded, and it only took a few minutes for them to get situated. Makino had brought extra blankets along with some more substantial food for Ace and Luffy, as well as some more supplies for their lessons and various other treats.

After enjoying the delicious meal, Makino ushered the boys to lie down, with Ace and Luffy on either side of Sabo. Makino sat closest to Luffy, covering them all with a blanket and beginning a story about talking dragons who fought against wizards and sword-wielding princesses who fought off the knights who tried to rescue them. Luffy had been worried that stories about girls wouldn't be as interesting, but he found himself giving Makino his full attention, only diverting it to look at his brothers to see if they were enjoying the story as much as he was. Ace was looking up at the ceiling, but the small smile on his face told Luffy he liked it too.

Sabo's eyes were wide with delight, and when Luffy snuggled closer to him, the blond smiled at him, lightly carding his fingers through Luffy's unruly hair.

The end of the story wound up being a mystery to Luffy. He was warm and comfortable, and the gentle stroking of Sabo's hand was lulling him almost as much as his heartbeat had earlier. He wanted to know what happened in the story, but he was sure his brothers would tell him in the morning if he asked. After all, his brothers were both feeling better, and he wasn't worried at all that they were feeling lonely or hated in that moment.

* * *

 **A/N: Was that too fluffy? NO SUCH THING! Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!**

 **~Mithril**


	12. Family

**A/N: Ohullo you fabulous readers! So quick note, I am completely disregarding the filler in the ASL flashback where Sabo tells Luffy and that filler pirate guy about Roger being Ace's dad. This is my take on how Luffy finds out, specifically in the Kyoudaiverse. I never liked the idea of them swearing off being brothers for any reason, and since the manga never actually showed us when or how Luffy (or Sabo for that matter) found out (that I recall anyway), this is how I'm going with it. I had Ace reference telling Sabo all the way back in chapter 2, so that's why Sabo already knows in this chapter.**

 **We've hit the halfway mark, as I'm estimating Kyoudai's final chapter will be chapter 24. It's getting sad soon guys, buckle up ; ;**

 **Special thanks to Beyond Kailani, who had to beta this for me from afar whilst on vacation xD ilu imouto-chan, you're the best!**

 **And as always, dedicated to Ascaisil :3**

 **I don't own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

 **Super quick edit: To the last minute guest reviewer on chapter 11: Indeedy, it was totally Dealing with Dragons in chapter 11 :D I love the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.**

* * *

 _Chapter 12: Family_

* * *

"Can't we go to the beach yet?"

It's wasn't the first time they'd heard the plea in the past few weeks, nor was it anywhere close to being a viable option. Ace tried not to let his frustration show, instead looking to his blond brother for help. In the last few weeks since they'd both gotten sick, the days had become colder and the ground had been blanketed in a thick layer of snow. Makino had provided them with warmer clothes and shoes, and their training had to be done earlier in the day.

Luffy had been wanting to go to the beach for some time to see the tide pools, but his older brothers had agreed it was far too cold for such activities, especially given how likely it was that the younger boy would fall into the water.

"No, Luffy," Sabo answered patiently, meeting Ace's eyes with an exasperated smile. "There's still snow on the ground."

Luffy slumped, dangling himself from the branch he'd been sitting on. "I'm bored."

Ace rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder to watch the rubber boy hang upside down. His jacket was only half on, and his shirt was tangled around his upper arms to expose his stomach and chest.

They'd noticed early on that Luffy didn't seem to register changes in temperatures as quickly as they did, and often had to be reminded when it was cold. According to Sabo, it had to do with the rubber structure of his body - yet another nuance of his Devil Fruit that they were discovering - and other than causing them mild annoyance when he did start to complain, it didn't seem to be a problem.

"It's getting harder to find food," Ace reminded him. "If we don't set the traps, we're probably going to miss some meals."

Luffy immediately made a face, dropping from his branch and dusting himself off once he bounced out of the snow. "Why won't you let me set any traps?"

"Because the last time you tried to help, you got _yourself_ stuck in a trap and wasted our morning," Ace retorted. "Just don't get in the way."

"I'm not in the way," Luffy protested, puffing himself up. "I can do it this time! Last time it was the trap's fault."

"Luffy, you don't need to set the traps," Sabo spoke up. "Ace and I are almost done anyway."

Luffy sighed, kicking the snow. "Stupid traps."

Ace rolled his eyes, going back to working with the intricate knots of the rope they were using. The traps helped a lot with catching dinner, since it was getting darker faster. They were able to hunt for breakfast and save enough for lunch most times, but if the traps were empty by the time they wanted to head home, their dinner would be light and Luffy would complain for hours.

They'd tried to store food at first, but there was never anything extra. Any time they had more than enough for the three of them, Luffy would either finish it off despite their protests, or whine and whimper until one of them - always Sabo - caved and let him have it on the paper-thin excuse that they could always get more. While Ace had griped about it after Luffy had fallen asleep, Sabo had laughed off his irritation and reminded Ace that Luffy was doing a lot better with following their directions and paying attention to his lessons these days, in an attempt to justify rewarding him.

Ace would never admit it, but he was sure the only reason Luffy was behaving so much in the first place was because he was trying to show off for Sabo and earn praise. Much like hugs and meat, Luffy seemed to thrive on Sabo's affection. The one time Ace had recently let his opinion on the matter start to show, Sabo had basically told him Luffy wanted Ace to praise him too, and Ace had quickly ended the conversation before Sabo could get the wrong idea.

It was easier for Sabo to show the affection Luffy wanted, so there was no point in trying to upset the balance, although Ace had noticed his aversion to showing affection had waned recently.

"There," he said out loud once he had the trap in place. He straightened up, rubbing his hands together to warm them. "We can go get lunch now since Luffy ate everything this morning."

"Did not! You ate it all, Ace," Luffy argued.

"Idiot," Ace chided. "If I ate it all, then what did you eat?"

"Uh, Sabo shared with me," Luffy answered, glancing up at the sky with a suspiciously innocent look.

"And if I ate it all, what did Sabo share with you?" Ace continued.

"..." Luffy tried to whistle.

"Exactly," Ace rolled his eyes and joined Sabo. "You done?"

Sabo was snickering under his breath, but at Ace's question he straightened and nodded. "That was the last one, right?"

"Ah!"

Ace and Sabo both whirled around at the sound of Luffy's cry, hoping that he hadn't triggered one of the more dangerous traps - they did have a few metal ones made from scraps to clamp around an animal's leg - only to see him standing in the same spot, completely unharmed and untouched. He wasn't even struggling in one of the rope traps like usual.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Sabo asked.

"It's cold!" Luffy exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering.

"For the love of… you idiot!" Ace scolded. "You're only just now noticing?"

"Come on then," Sabo said with an exasperated sigh that somehow sounded completely affectionate when he did it. "Let's go find some food. The more we move, the less cold we'll be."

"Really?" Luffy trotted over, peering up at Sabo the way he always did when he had a question. Sabo had all the answers, of course.

"Yeah, moving makes your blood pump faster," Sabo explained. "So when you move a lot, your body warms up."

"Oh," Luffy said thoughtfully.

It was hard to tell when Luffy let information in one ear and out the other. Sometimes, he actually managed to file it away for later use and surprise them by bringing it up, but other times he truly didn't seem to retain the answers he was given. He satisfied his curiosity for the brief moment he had it, but he didn't care to learn it. Looking at his face never helped determine which way he'd dealt with the shared knowledge.

He bounced on his heels as they left the clearing, and from then on, he kept himself in constant motion to warm himself up. As this continued, Sabo seemed to grow a little distressed, but Ace couldn't figure out why, and he didn't intend to ask while Luffy was listening. It wasn't until after they'd gotten lunch - a giant reptile-like creature that had followed Luffy from the river and tasted somewhat like a mix of chicken and fish - that Ace had a chance to inquire.

"It's good that he's keeping warm," Sabo had explained, watching Luffy finish off an inhuman portion, only for his large belly to retract as if he hadn't eaten at all. "But his body already works faster than ours, so the more he moves like that, the hungrier he's going to be. He's burning his energy much faster than we are. I should have thought about that before I said anything."

"His body works faster than ours?" Ace repeated, frowning.

"Did you think it was normal for him to be able to keep eating and eating the way he does? I know you Ds have big appetites, but Luffy's body handles it differently," Sabo answered. "It's almost like he digests his food instantly. The only time I've ever seen him stay oversized is when he's really _actually_ full and doesn't want more."

"You notice really weird things," Ace commented, though he was frowning as he said it. He hadn't thought much of Luffy's strange eating habits, simply assuming the boy was always hungry and always going to complain about it.

"I have to," Sabo explained with a laugh. "Our little brother's a Devil Fruit user. If we're gonna make sure he toughens up so he'll be ready to set out on his own some day, we have to make sure to take proper care of him."

"I still can't imagine him setting out alone and getting farther than the base of the mountain," Ace chuckled. The chuckles faded quickly, smile sliding into a frown. "I don't like the idea of him being in a boat on open water by himself."

"Neither do I, but here's hoping by the time he's older, he's better at not falling in the water, or at least has some kind of contingency plan for being out on the sea," Sabo sighed. "We have to trust him, though. He's gonna go after his dream, so he'll have to figure that part out for himself."

"His dream, huh?" Ace commented, scooting closer to the fire they'd made to roast the meat. It wasn't currently snowing, but the ground was still hardened and cold, even if they'd brushed off the rocks they'd chosen to sit on.

"Anyway, if he keeps burning energy like that, we'll need to get extra for him," Sabo continued. "So go easy on him if he complains a little, alright?"

Ace rolled his eye, but they both knew he'd take Sabo's advice to heart. It was rare if he didn't these days.

"Sabo, Sabo!"

The blond barely had a chance to look up before Luffy tackled him off the rock he was sitting on, straddling him and looking down at him with bright eyes.

"Oof, what?" Sabo wheezed, sitting up so he was no longer lying in the snow.

"I'm keeping warm!" Luffy exclaimed, like his actions made complete sense. Then again, they'd already figured out that everything Luffy did was completely logical in his own head. They questioned their own actions all the time, but Luffy never wavered, even if his answers made absolutely no sense to other people.

That was just the way Luffy was, and likely always would be.

"But you just tackled Sabo into the snow," Ace pointed out. "And now Sabo's going to be cold."

"Ah!" Luffy jumped up and quickly tried to pull Sabo with him, but Sabo waved off the attempt with a good-natured smile and simply took his sweater off to brush the snow off.

"Just be careful," Sabo told him, holding the sweater closer to the fire to try and warm it as he reclaimed his seat. "We don't want anyone getting sick again."

"I don't want to make anyone get sick!" Luffy exclaimed instantly, alarm filling his wide eyes.

"You're not gonna make us sick," Ace sighed. "Calm down already."

"Ace is right, and I don't say that often," Sabo joked. "You won't make us sick."

"And if you do get sick, will the mystery doctor come back?" Luffy asked, fidgeting.

"Probably," Sabo said thoughtfully.

Ace snorted. He'd questioned Sabo thoroughly about Dadan's visit as soon as the other boy had been feeling up to it, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about it. He could recall Dadan talking to the other bandits while she'd been drunk once, and she clearly hadn't wanted him around. It didn't make any sense to him why she'd go out of her way to help, but he wasn't ready to ask Sabo what he thought of the situation.

"I hope she comes back soon." Luffy spoke up, rocking on his heels.

"Why? Are you feeling sick?" Sabo asked.

Ace and Sabo exchanged a worried glance, but Luffy smiled and alleviated their worries. "I don't feel sick," he promised. "But that mystery doctor made Sabo feel better, so I drew her a picture to say thanks. I wanna give it to her, but I don't want anyone to get sick to make her come back…" his brow furrowed in response to his predicament, and Sabo struggled to hold back his laughter.

"I'm sure she doesn't need anything-" Ace started, but Sabo cut him off.

"I can deliver it for you," Sabo offered with a smile. "I know where the mystery doctor lives."

"Really?" Luffy's entire face lit up, and then he was attempting to tackle Sabo right back off the rock.

Thankfully, Sabo was expecting it this time, and he didn't even drop his sweater, simply letting it go with one hand so he could open his arms and catch their excited little brother. He exchanged another glance with Ace, grinning sheepishly as Luffy wrapped rubbery arms and legs around his torso.

"When are you planning on doing this, exactly?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe tomorrow after lunch," Sabo answered. "We were still planning on going to the city today, right? I won't have time if I'm going to help you with the traps afterwards."

"Right," Ace nodded, sighing again. He had a sinking suspicion he was starting to worry too much that Luffy's irresponsibility might start rubbing off on Sabo. Lately, he'd been keeping tabs on _both_ of them.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were packing up and heading for the city, with Luffy babbling on about all the different things he hoped they caught for dinner. The trip itself was pretty routine. They stuck to Edge Town and didn't dare venture further, stealing from the thugs that tried to attack them and scoping out some of the local restaurants. Unfortunately, every single establishment seemed to be on the lookout for the trio, so the Dine 'n Dash method wasn't a viable option.

After they'd gathered a decent amount of treasure to stash, Sabo declared they'd spent enough time in the city and it was time to leave. Luffy had gone along with no arguments for once, and Ace had been about to follow when he'd heard the jeer.

His entire body had stilled, hand clenching on the bag of money he held at his side. For a moment, he thought perhaps he'd imagined it, but the raucous laughter from the seedy little bar they'd been walking past told him otherwise.

"Ace?" Luffy questioned, backtracking to join him. He couldn't even find his voice to tell Luffy to get lost and stop him from overhearing the next poisonous taunt.

"Ace, what's…" Sabo's voice trailed off as he seemed to realize what they were overhearing from the bar, and he was quick to grab Luffy's wrist. "C'mon Luffy, let's get going."

"But Sabo, Ace is-"

"Ace is coming with us, _right?"_ Sabo asked, hardening his voice.

Ace's eyes flickered to Sabo's, meeting them defiantly. In the past, whenever they'd overheard someone speaking ill of Roger, of the _Pirate King,_ Sabo had never been able to talk him down or convince him to let it go. Ace had always instigated the fights by asking what those same people would think if the man they were aiming their hatred at had ever had a child, and the answers had always sent him into a rage.

Even now, he wanted to ask those men, to accuse them of hating him without even knowing him, and to lash out at them for feeding his deepest insecurities, even if they were completely ignorant - as well as apathetic - to the fact that they were doing it. It wasn't like knowing would have made them change their minds. If anything, it would probably give them a new target and an outlet for their hatred.

But Sabo wasn't trying to talk him out of it this time. In one simple motion, he broke through the haze of Ace's anger, directing his attention with a very obvious glance and nod of his head to their younger brother.

Luffy was staring at Ace with wide, uncertain eyes, and his little hands fidgeting nervously even with one still clasped in Sabo's grip. In that moment, Ace saw his own image reflected in Luffy's eyes and it was like a suckerpunch to the gut. Luffy probably couldn't understand what made his older brother look that way. In his darkest moments, he'd never quite turned that look to the younger boy, even when he'd been trying to ditch him on the mountain.

He'd never looked at Luffy with such _hatred,_ and the thought of Luffy seeing him that way made him feel sick to his stomach.

He closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to block out the sounds of the drunken bastards in the bar, before returning his gaze to Luffy. He wasn't quite sure what to think when he realized Luffy wasn't looking at him fearfully or recoiling. It didn't matter if he'd tried to kill Luffy hundreds of times, or glared at him with disdain while claiming he wanted nothing to do with the chipper boy. Luffy always chased after him, and it didn't seem like this time would be any different, even after having seen something so hideous.

"Ace?" Luffy tried again. He reached out with his free hand, and though the blond's expression was hesitant, Sabo didn't stop him. It meant Sabo trusted Ace not to lash out, and that was more faith than Ace had in himself. He managed to stay still, however, except for a mild flinch when Luffy's hand finally reached his wrist.

Luffy's touch seemed to generate a warmth that managed to seep into Ace's body and drive everything else out. The rage slowly dissipated until the jeering taunts and crude insults were nothing but a dull roar in the background.

"Let's go," Ace murmured finally, trying to ignore Sabo's pleased expression. He noticed the blond letting go of Luffy and picking up the bag the younger boy had dropped, freeing Luffy up to keep ahold of Ace's wrist instead.

 _Just this once,_ Ace thought, fighting back the urge to deny he needed the contact as they started walking again. With his other hand finally relaxing the grip he had on the bag of money, he twisted his wrist until Luffy was no longer holding it. Instead, he clasped their hands together to show he didn't mind or want Luffy to let go, and the smile he got in return was absolutely _radiant._

He had to struggle not to stare as they made their way out of Edge Town, expertly maneuvering through the frosty wasteland of the Gray Terminal. The entire time, Luffy's smile hadn't dimmed in the slightest, and if Ace's hand started to slip from his, he'd grasp it a little more firmly and try to match their paces so as not to jar the contact.

No one spoke - always quite the feat in Luffy's case - until they made their way back to the traps, which were empty. The defeated silence was broken by the loud growl of Luffy's stomach, which had Ace sighing loudly. "Sabo, why don't you and Luffy go put the treasure away? I'll find dinner."

"Actually," Sabo turned to look at him, and his expression told Ace he wasn't going to back down from whatever he was about to say. "I'll take it back to the hiding spot. Luffy can help you catch dinner."

"I'll help Ace," Luffy agreed, looking up at them both with a confident smile. "I'll get extra meat!"

Ace opened his mouth to argue, then shut it, sighing. He knew they needed extra food for Luffy, and as much as he wanted to go off on his own to vent his frustrations as violently as possible, he couldn't deny he wanted Luffy to stay close to him and keep him from slipping into the familiar darkness he'd felt earlier.

"Alright," he agreed, tossing Sabo the bag he'd been carrying. "Meet us at home when you're done."

Sabo nodded, smiling at Luffy before he turned and headed off, dashing through the trees with ease.

"Ace?" Luffy asked once Sabo had gone. "Are you okay?"

Ace hesitated. It would be easy to brush him off and call him an idiot for worrying, but he found he just couldn't, not after he'd turned such a cold and horrible gaze on the younger boy back in town.

"I wasn't," he admitted, tugging Luffy out of the clearing to go hunt. "I'm feeling better now though."

Luffy smiled, but he didn't seem satisfied by that answer as he jogged to keep up. He only let go of Ace's hand when he needed to reach for his pipe, eying a large bird that seemed to be trying to attack a nest of snakes.

They wound up taking the bird down - a vulture that would take extra time to prepare but had plenty of meat - as well as collecting the eggs from the nest. They had to pass the clearing again to get home, and to both of their delights, they saw that one of their traps had caught another vulture in their brief absence.

Ace took the initiative to drag the birds along so Luffy could balance the eggs, listening to his little brother chirping along about how they'd have plenty of meat that night. Sabo hadn't returned by the time they made it back, but Ace wasn't worried, either. Part of him thought Sabo might be intentionally staying away so he'd open up to Luffy, since Luffy was the only one who didn't know.

It took a while to skin the birds and prepare them for cooking, but Luffy didn't complain for once or try to eat anything raw. Once they had the meat over the fire and the eggs ready to be cooked last, Luffy plopped down beside him and tilted his head.

"Ace?"

"Hm?" Ace asked.

"You were really mad earlier," Luffy commented.

"Sorry," Ace sighed, looking away. "But-"

"You looked really upset," Luffy continued, interrupting him. "But you also looked really lonely."

Ace turned to look at him again, unable to keep the confusion from his features. He'd only seen hatred in the reflection he'd caught in Luffy's eyes.

"Yeah," Luffy added, looking up at Ace with his simplistic views and his blunt, tactless delivery. "It's like when I met you. You looked really mad all the time, but you looked as lonely as I felt back then. I haven't seen you look like that in a long time, so I got worried. But you don't look lonely now, so I don't have to worry, right?"

Ace exhaled at the explanation, then lightly whacked Luffy upside the head.

"Hey!" Luffy protested, only to blink as Ace slipped an arm around his thin shoulders and tugged him closer.

"Idiot," Ace murmured. "You're not supposed to worry about your big brothers."

"Shishishi," Luffy immediately snuggled against his side. "Sorry!"

Ace stared at the fire in silence, feeling the warmth of Luffy's body against his side. Even though it wasn't _that_ cold, somehow his other side felt completely devoid of heat in comparison.

He knew it was stupid, and he knew Luffy would probably respond in some idiotic manner, but it didn't stop him from feeling nervous about actually saying it. "Hey, Luffy?"

"Yeah?" Luffy asked, twisting so he could look at Ace's face. The freckled boy almost wished he'd keep staring at the cooking meat so he wouldn't see his expression.

"You want me around, right?" Ace asked.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, looking confused.

"No one else feels that way," Ace continued, looking back to the fire. "Except Sabo, anyway. You don't know anything about your parents, right?"

"I don't think I ever had parents," Luffy agreed.

Ace rolled his eyes. "It doesn't work that way, but whatever. I know about my parents, though. I don't want to talk about this again, so don't interrupt me, okay? No matter how much you want to."

Luffy shifted against his side, and Ace could almost _feel_ his desire to talk, but the rubber boy kept his mouth shut and simply snuggled closer.

"My father was the Pirate King," Ace muttered, the words tasting like poison in his mouth. He knew the title would excite Luffy, who aimed for the same name, but to Ace, the title meant nothing more than notoriety and selfishness for a man whose legacy would haunt him forever.

He felt the vibration against his side and risked a glance at Luffy's face, and before he could help it, he burst out laughing. Luffy's eyes were wide, lower lip sucked all the way in to create a ridiculously proportioned pout. Ace knew it was in an attempt to stop from asking questions, but that was the exact reason he couldn't stop laughing. It was almost absurd how quickly the anxiety and stress of telling his darkest secret slipped away at the sight of Luffy's face, and as much as he hated his heritage, _hated_ the thought of being connected to Roger, for once, he found himself not focusing on it.

"Don't laugh at me!" Luffy cried, unable to contain himself. His petulant frown only made Ace laugh harder. "I'm trying not to interrupt! You said not to interrupt, and, ah! I interrupted!"

Ace tugged Luffy closer, hugging him and laughing into his hair. The new position had Luffy struggling to stay indignant, but it didn't last long. Rubbery arms wound around him almost instantly, and though he was still clearly pouting, he didn't shout at Ace again.

"Sorry," Ace chuckled, his laughter dying down. It was strange to think that he'd spent the last hour in turmoil when Luffy defused the situation so effortlessly. "It's just… I hate being related to that man."

At the serious tone, Luffy hugged him tighter. "And those people earlier were saying mean things about him, and you wanted to fight them, right?"

"Yeah," Ace agreed. "But not because I care about what they say about him. It's because they'd hate me just as much if they knew who I was."

"Oh," Luffy pulled back a little, studying his face with a perceptive scrutiny Ace wasn't used to seeing from his absentminded little brother. "That's why you think people hate you, huh?"

"What? When did I…" Ace trailed off, frowning. "Did I say something while I was sick?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, frowning. "I didn't like it when you were sick because it made you lonely and sad."

Ace sighed again. _Damn it, Sabo. You could have warned me…_

"But you don't have to worry about being lonely, or sad," Luffy continued. "Me and Sabo will never hate you. We're your brothers!"

Ace looked to Luffy's face again, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and hearing his earnest tone. It never occurred to him that Luffy was lying to make him feel better - he doubted Luffy even knew how to do that in the first place - or that Luffy would ever go back on that claim.

"I know, Luffy," Ace said. "I know that now, anyway."

"Can I ask questions now?"

"No."

"But I wanna know about your dad!" Luffy protested.

Ace groaned, untangling from Luffy and turning the spit so the meat would cook evenly. "I don't want to talk about him. I don't even know anything about him."

"Awww!" Luffy whined. "But _Ace!"_

"The subject is closed," Ace snapped with only a fraction of his usual irritation.

"I came back right in time, huh?" Sabo asked, cutting Luffy off mid-whine for a story about Roger.

"Yeah, make him shut up. I knew telling him was a bad idea," Ace griped.

"Luffy," Sabo's tone was stern, and it got Luffy's attention. "Don't pester Ace about it, or you're going to upset him like those people in town."

Luffy gasped, then sucked his lip back in and nearly caused Ace to lose it for the second time. He managed to hold back, though a strangled sound akin to a snort escaped before he could stop it. He pretended not to notice Sabo's satisfied grin.

* * *

Ace barely remembered what they spoke about during dinner. After they finished, with Luffy devouring anything he and Sabo didn't want, they cleaned up and headed into the treehouse to get some rest. Since it was much colder at night in the winter, they'd taken to sleeping close together with Luffy huddled in the middle.

The younger boy had barely gotten situated between them before he started snoring, arms splayed like he didn't have a care in the world.

"You doing okay?" Sabo asked, moving one of Luffy's arms off his face and tucking it under the blanket instead.

Ace moved Luffy's other arm, letting it rest over his stomach. "Oddly enough… yeah, I am."

"Well you had to know he'd be more excited about it than anything else," Sabo pointed out, removing Luffy's hat and placing it next to his own so neither would be crushed while they slept. "And you had to know he wasn't going to judge you."

"I know, I know," Ace sighed. "It's just… you know."

"Yeah," Sabo agreed. "Do you feel better though? Now that he knows, I mean."

"I do," Ace answered, still floored by the fact that when he said it, it was the truth.

"I didn't think we were going to convince you to leave Edge Town without fighting anyone," Sabo admitted, and Ace felt absolutely no animosity for that statement.

"Neither did I," Ace sighed finally, shifting Luffy's arm back off his face as the younger shifted around again. "But I really don't want to talk about it. I'll just get pissed off again."

"Fair enough," Sabo relented.

"What took you so long, anyway?"

"What?"

"With the treasure," Ace said. "You weren't really staying away so Luffy and I would talk, were you?"

"Uh…" Sabo laughed nervously, which had Ace sitting up a little to raise an eyebrow at him. "Let's just say I ran into a few obstacles on the way back. I'm fine though."

"Pirates? Thugs?" Ace questioned.

"A marine," Sabo answered, snickering as Ace's jaw dropped. "Don't worry, he wasn't here to train us. He already left."

"You dodged a bullet. No, you dodged a cannonball," Ace muttered, moving Luffy's arm out of the way as he moved to lie back down. "What did he want?"

"I didn't ask," Sabo answered. "I also didn't tell him we still planned to become pirates. I think he's impressed we're managing on our own, though."

"Well, Luffy said that crazy old bastard threw him into the jungle alone plenty of times, so I don't see why he'd be impressed that the three of us are surviving," Ace griped, scowling at the thought. Frankly, all the trouble Luffy got himself into on a daily basis _with_ their help was enough to make him shudder at the thought of Luffy surviving alone in a jungle for any extended period of time.

"Yeah but that was only a couple days at a time, a week tops," Sabo pointed out. Ace was pleased to see the blond shudder though, clearly not immune to the same thoughts Ace himself had experienced moments earlier. "We've been gone from Dadan's for months on our own now."

"It's better that way," Ace murmured.

Sabo's smile was secretive - or at least it seemed that way from the brief glance Ace caught - but he didn't say anything else, turning and shifting closer to Luffy for warmth. The younger boy was mumbling about meat and pirates and mystery doctors, and as Ace gave up all pretenses of not needing to snuggle for warmth, he couldn't help but wonder when Luffy would pester him again.

It was inevitable, even if Sabo had managed to halt the flood of questions for the night. Even knowing that, Ace couldn't bring himself to regret telling Luffy; especially after finding out he'd slipped and said something while sick. The whole world could choose to hate him, but it set his heart and mind at ease to know that his brothers never would. He didn't know if that would always be enough to outweigh the sins of the demon blood flowing through his veins, but for the moment - for the years he had until he and his brothers eventually parted ways - it was more than enough for him.

"Night, Ace," Sabo yawned.

Ace shifted closer to Luffy, watching both his brothers for several moments as their breathing seemed to synchronize, a steady and comforting rhythm that relaxed him. "Night, Sabo," he echoed.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed a different kind of Ace reaction to opening up about his lineage! Thank you so much to all of the lovely people who faved/followed/reviewed/messaged me on tumblr to tell me they enjoyed this story. You guys are the best!**

 **~Mithril**


	13. Forever

**A/N: So a quick note; I put it on my tumblr but I'mma mention it on both stories here. I'm moving on my birthday (the 28th of August) and will be busy with packing, so I might not make my update schedule on one or both of the upcoming weeks. I'm gonna try my hardest, though! The good news is I am moving out of a deathtrap in the sticks with no civilization into the home of one of my best friends on the east coast.**

 **I also got food poisoning shortly after I finished this chapter, so I'm currently rolling around on the floor and that's delaying both packing AND writing.**

 **Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed! And it looks like Kyoudai might actually be ending on chapter 22 :X We'll see.**

 **Huge thanks to Beyond Kailani (and if you haven't read her stories by now, shoo! Go read her stuff :3 ) for being such a patient, nurturing beta reader xD ilu!**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil as always :)**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 13: Forever_

* * *

"Luffy, if you so much as get one foot wet, we're going right back up the mountain!"

"Aaaaaaaace!"

"Hey, listen to Ace," Sabo intervened routinely, not even bothering to open his eyes as he strolled alongside his siblings with his hands clasped behind his head and a peaceful look on his face.

"And quit whining," Ace added, snorting.

"I'm not whining, you're whining," Luffy retorted.

"That doesn't even make sense."

" _You_ doesn't even make sense."

"You _don't_ even make sense," Sabo corrected. "And… that actually doesn't make sense either."

"Let's go look at the tidepools!" Luffy dashed off before Sabo could finish opening his eyes, and a grumbling Ace quickly gave chase.

Sabo chuckled, watching his brothers with a fond smile. It had been a rather difficult winter, but they'd managed it on their own for the most part. Makino had supplied them with thicker clothes for the rapidly cooling weather, but unless it was a special occasion, they'd still hunted for their own food and remained in their treehouse.

When the snow had finally stopped falling, Luffy had once again pestered them about going to the beach. Since it was still far too cold, they'd asked him to be patient. Once the snow had started to melt and the ground began to sprout fresh grass, Luffy had asked again. It had still been cold enough to cause worry, and they'd given him a plaintive 'soon' rather than asking him to be patient again. After all, as Sabo had pointed out, Luffy had already been a lot more patient than they'd expected.

Now, while it wasn't quite ideal weather but the light showers had stopped and the pleasant spring climate let them shed their boots and heavy coats, they were finally accompanying Luffy to the beach. It was off the coast of Windmill Village and out of the way of prying eyes, but not secluded enough that they could fully drop their guard. When they'd neared the village, Ace had asked Luffy if he'd wanted to invite Makino, only to be surprised by Luffy's instant refusal. The chipper boy had simply taken both their hands and proclaimed his excitement to go with his _brothers_ to the beach.

Sabo hadn't even spoiled the mood by teasing Ace for the dark blush that had spread over his freckled cheeks.

"Luffy, get back here!"

Dark blue eyes followed Ace as he sprinted after Luffy, successfully grabbing him around the waist and wrangling him away from the shore, and a laugh escaped when Luffy's flailing caused Ace to lose his footing and land on his rear in the sand.

"Ace, be careful not to fall into the water," Sabo called cheerfully.

"Oh, shut up," Ace grumbled, shoving Luffy off of him so he could get back up.

Luffy just giggled, bouncing in the sand and waving his arms at Sabo. "Sabo, Sabo, let's find some crabs! They're funny and they walk weird, but they taste good!"

"We just ate less than an hour ago," Ace sighed. "I thought you wanted to see the tidepools."

"Yeah!" Luffy flailed his arms again, eyes widening with excitement as Sabo joined them. "They're so cool, Ace! There's all sorts of mystery stuff in there! Like stars that are really fish in disguise, and enemies that look kinda like squishy tentacled dumplings!"

"I… what?" Ace looked to Sabo for help, and it was all the blond could do to hold his laughter in.

"Starfish and sea anemones, Luffy," Sabo corrected brightly. "But that's a pretty accurate description from the illustrations I've seen."

"You haven't seen them either?" Ace asked.

"No, I've never really come down to the beach to look around," Sabo admitted.

"You have to see them up close!" Luffy insisted, grabbing Sabo's hand. He reached for Ace, but the freckled boy managed to evade his grasp this time.

"I'll follow," Ace told him, shrugging when Luffy pouted. Still, Luffy was too excited to be ornery over something like Ace refusing to hold his hand, so he resumed smiling and rambling about all of the mysteries he'd seen in the tidepools the last time Garp had taken him to the beach.

"Jiji really let you play at the beach?" Ace asked skeptically. "No training?"

"Well, he was trying to make me swim, since it was before I ate my fruit, but I couldn't swim then either. He kept throwing me really far into the ocean, but the waves always brought me to the tidepools," Luffy said cheerfully. "Jiichan took a nap, so I got to play."

Ace and Sabo exchanged a look, both trying not to twitch at the idea of Garp throwing Luffy out to sea, and then leaving him near the water _unsupervised._ Even if he hadn't been a Devil Fruit user back then, he'd still only been six years old with an uncanny knack for finding the most dangerous situation and charging straight into it. It was a wonder he hadn't drowned or been carried off by some form of sea creature.

"Well, don't play near the water if you're by yourself, or if the person you're with is napping," Sabo added, just in case.

"Shishishi, okay!" Luffy turned to beam at Sabo, squeezing his hand. "Can you help me catch a starfish? I won't eat it. Shanks said not to eat them because they make you sick."

"Shanks said that?" Sabo echoed.

"Yeah, Shanks took me out here once because Makino promised, but she got really busy," Luffy recalled, eyes bright. "I had a lot of fun with Shanks. He's the one who helped me catch a crab and cook it. It's not as good as real meat, but I remember it tasted really good that day, and I want to share it with my brothers."

Ace quickly looked away, while Sabo smiled knowingly and tried to stop his heart from actively melting into a puddle in his chest. It was getting more difficult to control that impulse these days. "I'm sure it'll be delicious."

"If you manage not to hog it all, anyway," Ace chimed in, teasing Luffy affectionately.

"I said I'd share!" Luffy protested, letting Sabo go first and help pull him up onto the rocky area so he wouldn't have to get his feet wet. Ace was on his other side, and while it seemed like he wasn't paying much attention, Sabo could tell every inch of Ace's body was alert and angled to help if Luffy slipped or stumbled.

"You _said it,_ but I'll believe it when I _see it,"_ Ace said with a laugh.

"Sabo," Luffy immediately whined, looking to him for support.

Sabo shot Ace an apologetic smile, then shrugged his shoulders. "I think Luffy's going to be able to share with us, since that's why he wants to find a crab right now anyway."

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically, and Sabo recognized the intent before the hyper boy moved, immediately turning and bracing himself for the hug. He only lost his footing a little, but Ace grabbed his arm before they could both go tumbling into the water. Luffy had his arms and legs wrapped multiple times around Sabo's neck and midsection, and he was smiling so happily that neither boy could bring themselves to admonish him for his reckless behavior.

"So when you came here with Shanks," Sabo started, working on regaining his footing so he could keep walking with Luffy wrapped around him, "was it before you ate the fruit?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, content to go along for the ride with Ace walking beside them. "His first mate came too, but he stayed farther up the beach."

"Benn Beckman, right?" Ace asked, recalling the name from one of Makino's stories.

"Yep! He was always following Shanks," Luffy recalled. "He said he had to keep Shanks outta trouble, but I think Shanks could take care of himself."

"It's the first mate's job to watch the captain's back," Ace stated bluntly. "He probably respects Shanks a lot."

"I wish we could have met them," Sabo said wistfully.

"I'm gonna meet Shanks again when I'm a great pirate," Luffy declared. "With a crew that can beat his!"

"We know," Ace said, reaching out to ruffle his hair since his hat was hanging by the string again. "You tell us any time you mention Shanks' name."

"Oh," Luffy grinned sheepishly.

Sabo stopped when they reached the larger tidepools, gently untangling Luffy's limbs from around his body and depositing him on the rocks with care. "Remember, do _not_ fall in."

"If you fall in, we go home. Like I said, one foot touches the water and we're done," Ace added, trying his best to sound stern. It came out rather aggressive, but Luffy wasn't bothered by the tone as he immediately fell to his knees and leaned over the water, pointing excitedly.

"Look!" Luffy exclaimed, waving his finger at a large sea anemone.

Sabo knelt next to him. If he tried to claim he wasn't intrigued, he would have been lying. The sea anemone was dark purple and puffing up as they got closer. It almost looked to be swaying in a breeze, despite the tidepools being still and calm.

"It looks weird," Ace commented, kneeling on Luffy's other side.

"Watch, if I poke it, it'll get weirder looking," Luffy reached into the water to do just that, only to immediately slump as his hand went in.

"Luffy!" Ace scowled and pulled him back up by the shoulders.

Sabo grabbed Luffy's hand and used his own shirt to dry it, sighing. "Luffy…"

"Oh… I forgot," Luffy mumbled, blinking out of his sleepy daze. "I can't poke it now."

"What did I say about getting wet?" Ace asked, clearly annoyed.

"You said not to get a foot wet," Luffy repeated, holding his now-dry hand up for Ace to see. "Hand."

"...mmf…" Sabo covered his mouth to muffle the laughter, his irritation with Luffy fading at his answer.

"It's not funny," Ace grumbled. "I didn't mean it literally. I meant _don't get wet."_

"Okay," Luffy nodded. "You poke it."

"I'm _not_ poking it."

"Why not?"

"How do I know it's not poisonous? Just leave it alone."

"It's not! I've poked them before a lot, they shrivel up and it looks really funny!"

"I'll poke it," Sabo interrupted before Ace could retort. "Okay?"

Delighted, Luffy turned back to him. "Okay!"

"It could be poisonous," Ace warned, frowning.

"I don't remember reading about them being poisonous before," Sabo said, looking thoughtful. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

He rolled his sleeve up, pushing his hat back to stop casting a shadow over his target. The water was cold enough to make him shiver instantly, but he didn't back down, slowly reaching out and poking the sea anemone. It felt a little like jelly, not altogether unpleasant, but he immediately pulled his hand back when the creature wiggled. The purple hued tendrils seemed to flutter before it curled in on itself, and while Luffy laughed with delight, Ace actually jumped to his feet.

"You're right, it is funny," Sabo chuckled, eyes bright. "But we probably shouldn't disturb them too much. This is their home."

"You're right," Luffy agreed, still giggling. "But it still looked really funny! Sorry, Mister Nenomy!"

"Anemone," Sabo corrected him.

"That was creepy," Ace complained, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Did it _scare you?"_ Sabo couldn't resist teasing.

"No," Ace scowled. "Of course not."

"Ace was scared?" Luffy gasped. He burst out laughing before Ace could deny it again, clutching his stomach. "Ace got scared!"

"No I didn't!" Ace protested, bringing his fist down on Luffy's head. It didn't deter the boy from laughing, which had him scowling at Sabo. "This is your fault, you know. You shouldn't have poked the damn thing."

Sabo lost it, joining Luffy in laughing. He didn't wince when Ace hit him too, but he did laugh harder, barely keeping himself from rolling into the tidepool.

"You guys both suck," Ace muttered, stalking away from them and almost managing to conceal the redness of his cheeks.

"Ace, come back," Sabo gasped in between laughs, grinning wide enough to make his cheeks ache. "We're not judging you!"

"Y-yeah!" Luffy giggled, practically rolling from the intensity of his amusement. "Come back!"

Ace grumbled, which only had them laughing harder as he settled in by a different tidepool, sitting so he faced away from his brothers.

It was a while before Sabo and Luffy managed to get their giggles under control, but once they'd recovered, Luffy went back to pointing out the interesting creatures to Sabo, pausing every once in a while to tell Ace to join them. When Ace finally gave in and returned, Sabo noticed him wiping his hand off on his pants and smirked knowingly. Just because he hadn't let Luffy see him attempting to poke one of the sea anemones on his own didn't mean Sabo would let him live it down once they were alone.

"Okay," Luffy decided, dropping the starfish Sabo had retrieved back into the water. "I put Mister Starfish back, so let's get some crabs to eat. They're kinda small, so we have to get a lot."

"Do you have anything to put them in?" Sabo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…" Luffy frowned. "I forgot, Shanks used a bucket."

"I thought I saw a pail on the shore," Ace sighed. "I'll go get it."

"Thanks, Ace!" Luffy beamed at him.

"Show me what we're looking for," Sabo prompted Luffy, motioning to the water. "Just don't touch, okay? I'll get them."

* * *

Luffy was whistling as they made their way back to the shore, swinging the rusty pail despite Ace telling him to stop. They'd found a variety of decent sized crabs, and Luffy was practically drooling with excitement.

"They look too hard to eat," Ace commented, frowning.

"The shells are all different colors, too," Sabo added. "Do they all taste different?"

"Not by much," Luffy licked his lips with anticipation. "And the meat is inside the shell. You have to crack 'em open."

"Seems like a hassle," Ace shrugged.

"We gotta cook 'em in hot water," Luffy recalled. "Oh, and sometimes they scream."

"They… they scream?" Sabo echoed, sharing a confused glance with Ace.

"Shanks said so," Luffy nodded. "He said the noise was the scream escaping the shell."

"I think you mean steam," Sabo realized, looking relieved. "If you cook them in hot water, the steam could be making that sound."

"Oh, okay," Luffy grinned again. "That's better than screaming."

Neither boy argued with that as they set up on the shore to make a fire and build a makeshift stove to boil the water. Luffy showed Sabo what he remembered about how to prepare the crabs once it was set up, but one of the crabs snapped on his hand, making him yelp in pain.

Ace grabbed it immediately, holding it still while Sabo worked on prying the claws open, both of them muttering angrily under their breaths. Once Luffy's hand was free, Ace took over preparing that crab.

"Luffy, why don't you sit back and relax while we cook them," Sabo suggested, looking to the mark on Luffy's hand. It was barely a scratch thanks to his devil fruit and the blunt nature of the crab's claws, but it had broken the skin. Despite it being too small to need a bandage and the fact that it would likely close on its own before the crabs were even finished cooking, Sabo didn't want him getting pinched again.

"Kay," Luffy agreed, blowing on his hand to try and dim the pain.

Ace tossed the crab into the boiling water, and both older boys felt a slight twinge of satisfaction when a sound like a scream escaped.

* * *

"I have my doubts about this," Ace muttered, pulling one knee to his chest as he perched on a rock. They were close to the shore, keeping an eye on Luffy as he explored the tidepools alone.

"Me too, but we can't protect him forever," Sabo joked, leaning against the same rock with his body angled towards the tidepools in case he had to take off running. His hat was off, allowing the breeze to ruffle his short hair while they watched Luffy enjoy himself.

"He's going to fall in."

"Probably, but we can wait until he does," Sabo responded, tilting his head to look up at Ace.

"This is driving me nuts," Ace snapped.

"Ace," Sabo reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "We have to give him a chance. What do you think he's going to do after we leave if we always rush in to protect him first? We've been doing that a lot lately."

"This isn't like fighting or hunting," Ace sighed. "He can't do anything if he falls in the water."

"It's not that deep in all of them, and he's not going to stay indoors after we set sail. Let's see if he can go one afternoon without finding trouble before you rush in to hold his hand."

"I'm not holding his hand," Ace insisted, glaring.

"Well, no, not literally," Sabo teased. "But you've opened up a lot lately."

Ace didn't answer him, an unreadable look flashing in his eyes. They could just barely make out the sounds of Luffy conversing with a starfish - something nonsensical about why it wasn't a very good disguise, because stars were brighter - but there was no way the boy could hear them.

"What's on your mind? Really?" Sabo continued.

"What's wrong with wanting to protect something forever?"

Sabo started in surprise, then fully turned to look at Ace, pushing away from the rock to stand up straight. "Huh?"

"You heard me," Ace muttered, averting his eyes. "Is it wrong?"

The blond studied him for several moments, thinking back to the way Ace had been reacting lately. There had been subtle changes in his temperament with Luffy, and while he was still the more abrasive of the two older brothers, Sabo had to admit he'd started to act more protective than usual. He still allowed Luffy to fight on his own, but in situations where the danger came from something like water or getting lost or sick, Ace had been incredibly attentive.

"You know, you've been acting this way for a while now," Sabo pointed out. "Ever since winter ended, actually…" Ace flinched, which had Sabo pausing, but when Ace didn't change the subject, he continued. "You've been protecting him more often."

"Don't change the subject. You said we couldn't protect him forever, but is it really that bad to want to? When you have something you want to protect, why wouldn't you?"

A soft sigh escaped before a gentle smile touched Sabo's lips. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, nevermind," Ace muttered, turning his head away.

"Ace, it's me," Sabo reminded him. "Luffy can't hear us right now. You may as well just say it."

While Ace contemplated Sabo's words - something Sabo guessed would take him some internal struggling before he caved - Sabo glanced at the sky, frowning. There were clouds on the horizon, and while he doubted they'd be overhead before they decided to leave, it still couldn't hurt to be cautious.

"I've never been afraid of losing anything before," Ace finally admitted, his voice low even though Luffy had moved farther out of earshot. "I've never had anything I wanted to protect until now. At first, it was an instinct. You were the one who noticed it, but I was the one who wound up changing the most because of it."

Sabo regarded him curiously, his expression open and understanding so Ace wouldn't back out. When their eyes met, Ace seemed to relax a little, resting his head on his knee, which he pulled even closer to his chest.

"I understand," Sabo promised, turning to watch Luffy again. "I might not look like I changed much, but I did. Sometimes I think about what it's going to be like once we turn seventeen and set sail, other times I wish time would slow down so we could stay like this forever. I haven't felt lonely since the day he crashed into our lives, and I never want to feel that way again. But…" he turned to Ace, smiling. "I don't think I will, as long as we have our bond."

Ace swallowed, looking to the ground. "Don't tell Luffy I said all this, okay?"

"You know it's just between us," Sabo promised with a chuckle.

Ace sighed again, before lifting his head. "I'm really glad you're our brother, Sabo. I would have screwed this whole 'big brother' thing up a long time ago if you weren't here with us."

"I wouldn't even have a little brother if it weren't for you," Sabo teased, nudging him. "And even if we want this time together to last forever, it's not going to. But our bond, that _will_."

"Yeah," Ace smiled, looking to Sabo. "I guess I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"So before Luffy inevitably slips and falls into the water, causing us to rush and panic and go get him, anything else you wanna say?" Sabo joked.

Ace exhaled, exaggerating the motion to make it seem like he was exasperated. "Well, I'd like to talk about my other brother. Blond, wears a big hat, kind of a smart ass…"

"Hey!" Sabo laughed, shoving him off the rock. Ace caught himself of course, avoiding injury easily. "Anyway, we should probably get going soon."

"Why?" Ace asked. "You can't be hungry. That crab meat was surprisingly filling."

"No, the crab was great," Sabo smiled fondly at the memory. Luffy really had done his best to share as much as possible before longingly watching them eat theirs. They'd both claimed to be full eventually, giving him the extra and watching how happy it had made him. "I wasn't even hungry. The whole point was he wanted to share the experience and make a memory with us."

"Yeah, I know," Ace gave a crooked grin. "So what is it?"

"The clouds," Sabo admitted, looking up. "It looks like it's going to rain soon… and if this keeps up, we might be dealing with a storm. We should make sure everything's secured back home and get something for dinner ahead of time."

Ace followed his gaze, but his grin didn't dim. "This means we're heading home without Luffy getting into trouble."

"Ace, don't jinx it!" Sabo groaned. "Jeez!"

Ace laughed, looking lighter than he had when they'd first arrived. "Oi, Luffy!" he called.

Luffy turned to them, his smile radiant as always, even at such a distance. "Yeah?" he called back.

"We're going home now!"

"Aw," Luffy pouted very briefly, but when he noticed both of his brothers were grinning at him, he smiled again and hurried over. When they turned to leave, Luffy reached out and clasped onto Ace's hand.

Ace automatically started to pull away, but he seemed to change his mind just as quickly, allowing Luffy to hold onto him as they started for the mountain path. Sabo didn't even try to hide his pleased grin.

"I can't believe you managed to go a whole afternoon at the beach without falling into the water," Ace commented.

"I said I'd be careful!" Luffy protested, frowning. "Didn't I say that?!"

"You did, but to be fair, you tend to get into trouble at least once a week," Sabo pointed out.

"Usually Wednesdays," Ace added with a snort.

"Do not," Luffy mumbled, pouting. "I just have a lot of adventures. Besides, I'm not worried about trouble because I have my big brothers to save me."

Ace paused, looking down at Luffy for a moment, before tugging him closer and kneeling down. "Hop on, Luffy."

"Eh? Really?!" Luffy's entire face lit up, and before Ace could rescind the offer, he'd leapt onto Ace's back, winding his arms around Ace's neck and wrapping his legs around Ace's torso multiple times.

"Yeah, I don't mind carrying you once in a while when you manage _not_ to get into trouble," Ace said. "Besides, we won't get to do this forever, so this is okay for now."

Sabo watched Luffy's face at those words, careful not to trip and distract from the conversation. For a moment, it didn't seem like Ace's statement had any effect, but even if Ace was the one carrying Luffy, they both noticed when the rubber boy's grip tightened.

"But we'll be brothers forever," Luffy declared, voice soft. "Right?"

"Idiot," Ace teased, grinning at Sabo. "Of course we will."

"Nothing will change that," Sabo promised. He couldn't help but feel elated when he realized they were all smiling. When he thought of his brothers being as happy as he was over something as simple as a day filled with good memories, it felt like nothing would ever be able to sour his mood again.

"This is the best day ever," Luffy sighed, resting his head on Ace's shoulder and closing his eyes.

Watching the smile soften on Ace's face - watching it reach his eyes - Sabo found himself agreeing.

* * *

"It's not funny!" Luffy insisted, glaring up at his brothers.

Sabo tried his hardest not to laugh, but with his damp hair and giant pout, Luffy looked too adorable to be taken seriously. When the storm had started, they'd all prepared to ride it out behind the walls of their base. An argument between Ace and Luffy had resulted in Luffy declaring he'd protect their flag from the storm and Ace claiming he'd face it head on.

It had been an exciting rush to stand up to the powerful gales, and up until they'd heard Luffy's panicked yelp, they'd actually started to feel invincible. Luckily, though Luffy had been blown away by the wind, he'd kept a very firm grip near the flag. They hadn't panicked about the idea of him being blown away, although Ace had quickly gone to the top to make sure he was in range to grab him once they were all done laughing or in case he actually lost his grip.

Luffy hadn't found it nearly as amusing.

"But you kept the flag up there, right?" Sabo asked, a few snorts escaping.

Ace turned and hid a snicker behind his hand.

"I didn't lose our flag," Luffy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you should have pulled me in sooner! What if I'd been blown away?!"

"Relax," Ace laughed, reaching out and messing Luffy's hair up. "You weren't in any danger. You know we would have grabbed you before you flew off."

Luffy opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. Even though they _had_ let it go on a little longer than necessary, relaxed from the reminder that they couldn't jump in to protect him immediately all the time, the recoil of Luffy's abilities had already started to kick in before Ace had grabbed onto his wrists. From the look on Luffy's face, the idea that they'd teased him before saving him was warring against the absolute faith he had that they wouldn't let him be seriously hurt. His trust in his brothers eventually won out, just like Sabo knew it would, and the indignation drained right out of him.

"Okay," he chirped.

"C'mon," Ace said, tugging him over to the bin of clean clothes near the wall. "Put on something dry so you can go to bed."

Sabo chuckled, setting his hat down on one of the crates before collecting his notebook and quill.

"What are you doing? We're not having a late night lesson, are we?" Ace asked warily.

"No, I just wanted to write some things down," Sabo promised.

"Are we doing lessons tomorrow? I wanna do something fun tomorrow," Luffy announced, wiggling out of his rain-soaked clothes and letting Ace dry his hair.

"We'll need to go to the Gray Terminal tomorrow," Sabo explained, grinning when Luffy's face lit up. "We'll need to make some repairs on our base. It'd never hold up against an attack after a storm like that." The structure hadn't been compromised, but several boards had gone flying and they didn't want to leave it in a state of disarray, after all. It was their home.

"You're right," Luffy pressed his fist against his palm. "We stood up to the storm, though!"

"Besides," Ace interjected, helping Luffy with his shirt and then vigorously drying the younger boy's hair, ignoring his startled yelps. "Lessons aren't so bad. You'll need to be able to read the newspapers to keep track of your bounty."

Sabo didn't bother explaining the many, _many_ reasons reading and writing would be useful as a pirate. Ace had his opinion on the matter, and Luffy wouldn't be convinced unless he thought the reasoning sounded interesting.

"That's right, I need to be able to read my wanted poster!" Luffy realized, popping his head out of the towel.

Sabo continued to write while Ace and Luffy bantered about what would be important to read from a newspaper - Ace had added that Luffy would want to read the stories behind the bounty raises that would inevitably happen, which Luffy had argued with, stating he'd already _know_ why his bounty was raised if it happened - and he found himself rereading the entry fondly before closing his journal.

He hadn't told Ace he'd already started writing about his adventures. Some of the entries were short, detailing events of their everyday lives, but others were longer, filling the pages with fond moments and the exact words his brothers had spoken so he could treasure them even when the memories themselves had faded with the flow of time.

When he eventually set out to sea, he planned to take his journal with him. That way if he ever felt alone, all he'd have to do would be pick a happy memory and remind himself he wasn't, and never would be again.

* * *

"Hey, Ace? Are you awake?"

"Barely. What is it?"

Luffy's snores briefly gained volume, only to quiet as he shifted around. There was a jabbing pressure against Sabo's side, and he simply moved Luffy's foot out of the way.

"I'm really glad you're my brother too."

"What's with bringing that up now?" Ace's voice was rushed, giving Sabo a perfect idea of his flustered face despite it being nearly pitch black in the treehouse.

"Just wanted to make sure I mentioned it," Sabo told him cheerfully.

"Yeah, whatever. Go to bed, Sabo."

"Kay," Sabo agreed. "Oh, Ace?"

"What?"

"How did the sea anemone feel?"

"Sh-shut up."

"Night, Ace."

* * *

 **A/N: Whelp… it's been a fluffy ride ; ; but from here on out it's going to be angstfluff. There's a reason Ace was right on the brink of transforming into his overprotective big brother self in this chapter, verging on OOC; having Sabo ripped from the family heavily influences how he views his role as Luffy's only brother, and the changes will happen along the canon influence.**

 **Now I'm off to lie down xD Thank you for reading!**

 **~Mithril**


	14. Helpless

**A/N: H'OKAY! So like… I'm still here! :D**

 **Please be gentle ; ;**

 **Kyoudai is still on somewhat hiatus status. I'll be updating it as often as I can while things stabilize here, but my main focus is going to be making sure Bonds of Sea and Fire sees an update once a week. It's been a crazy couple of months, so thank you all for your patience in sticking with me!**

 **This chapter is technically an extra chapter. The initial plan was to skip directly to the aftermath of Sabo's departure, but I felt like canon was conflicting with my portrayal of Ace, and that his inner thoughts needed to be specified for this story. I started writing the chapter and immediately realized there was too much of a gap. This chapter takes from both the anime and the manga for the fire in Gray Terminal.**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH to Beyond Kailani for as always, being my wonderful beta. Another thanks goes to Aynslesa for looking it over after I fixed it lololol**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil, whose face I miss like whoa.**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda (HAPPY CHAPTER 801 Y'ALL)**

* * *

 _Chapter 14: Helpless_

* * *

He'd never felt truly helpless before. It was a strange feeling, one that coiled in the pit of his stomach and tightened in his chest until breathing became painful. His head was pounding, and not just from the bleeding wound at his temple.

Ace had never run from a fight before, and since teaming up with Sabo he'd certainly never worried about _losing_ one. Even when Luffy had been thrown into the mix and they'd both set their priority to protecting him, there had never once been a fight to cause any lasting alarm.

This was different. It wasn't a fight. They had never intended to be _fair_. One minute the brothers had been gathering supplies to repair their treehouse with Luffy whining about wanting a telescope, and the next they'd been fending off pirates. It had been like any other fight at first, but in the blink of an eye the pirates had shown their true intentions, brandishing guns and subduing Ace first. Luffy had been next, distracted by the sight of his big brother being taken down, and with both of them in danger, Sabo hadn't been able to stop himself from getting grabbed as well.

They had been in tough situations before, but nothing had prepared Ace for the sight of Sabo's eyes growing wide, his face paling at an alarming rate. The moment Ace had caught sight of the cause, the pompous man with his arrogant glare and his obvious status as the one in charge of the pirates, the feeling had hit him.

Helplessness. Because he'd realized exactly who the man was even before Sabo's shaky whisper had confirmed it. They were looking at Sabo's father, a man who didn't care for his son as anything more than a tool for his own ambitions.

Nothing Sabo had done after that man appeared had surprised Ace, but seeing it unfold right before his eyes - _knowing_ he wouldn't be able to change Sabo's mind - had really hit him hard. The memory of Sabo pleading with that man for their sake hurt more than the lightly bleeding gash on his head from where he'd been slammed into the ground.

How _dare_ that man talk about Sabo like he owned him? How dare he smirk in the face of Sabo's subservience for their safety? The only thing worse than the sight of Sabo's dejected posture, the subtle trembling that betrayed his resolve as he forced himself to walk away, was the sound of Luffy shouting after him. Ace's shouts had been a desperate attempt to make Sabo think of himself rather than his brothers, but Luffy's cries were those of a little boy who didn't fully grasp the situation. All he could see was Sabo walking away. He wouldn't know why Sabo's shoulders were shaking, why his hands were balled into fists, or that the face he wouldn't show them was stained with tears.

Ace never wanted to feel helpless again.

It wasn't until Sabo was out of sight that Ace was able to push that feeling away despite being tied up and at a disadvantage, reminding himself to focus on Luffy and worry about Sabo once they were safe. He didn't trust Bluejam to keep his word, even with Sabo giving himself up to try and guarantee their safety, so he couldn't let his guard down for even a second.

He grit his teeth at another one of Luffy's shouts, struggling to adjust his left arm into an angle that didn't make his joints scream with pain.

"One more time!" Luffy insisted, wiggling in his restraints and staring down the pirates with as much intensity as he could muster. "Fight us again! We won't lose this time!"

They laughed at him, but one barked at Luffy to be quiet. When that one advanced, Ace immediately bristled, taking the attention off of Luffy as quickly as possible.

"What did you bring us out here for?!" he furiously demanded. There was no point in Bluejam keeping them tied up on his ship unless he wanted something out of them. It was probably the only thing keeping them alive, and that was enough for Ace to think before he spoke again. Sabo wasn't there to form any plans or back him up. He alone was responsible for getting Luffy out of there safely.

"Those nobles sure have it made, huh?" Bluejam asked, drawing their attention to him. "You kids think so too, right?"

Ace's lip curled in disgust. He felt Luffy tensing behind him, but neither of them spoke. The other pirates were back to snickering and taunting them, but at least no one was advancing in a threatening manner.

"They look down on all of us and think we're trash, while they live their proud, carefree life… Hell, I'd change places with the kid if I could. Being born a noble isn't something you can achieve if you work hard enough. Wouldn't you say he's better off living as a noble?"

Despite Ace's resolve to keep himself from goading any of them into attacking with Luffy there, the smug look on Bluejam's face as he spoke had Ace bristling again.

"Still hard to believe one of the 'legendary brat trio' was actually a noble all along," Bluejam continued, chuckling bitterly. "To think he'd come all the way down from the elite district to make fun of the trash heap… I'm sure he looked down on the both of you as well."

Ace felt something inside of him snap, and he didn't have to look to know Luffy felt the same way.

"Don't be stupid!" he shouted, struggling in his restraints and hissing as a jolt of pain shot through his left elbow. "Sabo isn't that kind of guy!"

"Yeah!" Luffy added, squirming angrily behind him. "We're his brothers!"

Bluejam laughed again. "All right, all right, if you say so." He nodded to his men, and Ace could barely keep the look of surprise from his face as they were abruptly untied. Luffy was quick to jump to his feet and grab for his pipe, but Ace stood at a slower pace, never taking his eyes off Bluejam as he picked up his own weapon. He rolled his left shoulder just slightly, flexing his hand to try and alleviate the burning sensation in his elbow from having been kept in one position for so long. It would slow his reflexes if it came down to a fight, but it wasn't enough to drastically hinder him.

"Still, you two shouldn't go near him again," Bluejam continued, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand. The smell of alcohol burned Ace's nose as he angled himself slightly in front of Luffy. "If you're planning on going after him again, I'll have to kill the both of you here and now. If you really care about that 'brother' of yours, you'll leave him alone from now on."

Ace's eyes narrowed further at the implication, but Luffy couldn't contain his outrage.

"Sabo hates living there!" Luffy argued, almost pushing past Ace to attack. Ace stood his ground, silently gauging Bluejam's manner the way Sabo would if he'd been there.

"Just forget about him," Bluejam said with a shrug. "It's for the best. That's what they call kindness. You'll understand when you grow up."

Luffy gave an audible growl.

"We've had our differences in the past, what with that Porchemy incident, but why don't we let bygones be bygones? You may be young, but I like strong guys like you, and I'm actually a little short on men right now. Maybe you could give me a hand with a job?" Bluejam continued like he hadn't even noticed they were angry.

The absurdity of the situation had even Luffy pausing, a confused sound escaping. The same look must have mirrored on Ace's face, because Bluejam chuckled at their joint response and leaned forward.

"Oh, it's a simple job, nothing dangerous about it," he said with a smirk that made the hairs on the back of Ace's neck stand up. He motioned to a map nearby, pinned to a barrel with prominent blue X marks all over it. "I've got a map of the Gray Terminal here. You've gotta carry some goods to the spots marked with an X. That's all." Ace's eyes flickered to the map as Bluejam spoke. "So, are you up for it?"

Ace returned his gaze just in time to hear Luffy growl, and spoke before the younger boy could act. "Alright. How much will you pay us?" It wasn't difficult to ignore Luffy's confused sounds. Even if Luffy disagreed, the one thing he and Sabo had grown to count on was if they used a stern voice and made a decision, Luffy would initially follow. He might question it later, while they were in the process of doing whatever it was they'd decided on, but he wouldn't outright rebel.

Ace himself wasn't as good as Sabo when it came to using that tactic, but Bluejam smirked in response to his question and Luffy deflated, meaning he'd won for the time being. He barely paid attention as Bluejam explained where to find the supplies and how much needed to go to each X. It would get them out of Bluejam's clutches, give them money for the pirate fund and - most importantly - give Ace time to _think._

He didn't believe Bluejam's words for even a second. There was no way Sabo would be happy going back to that family. Those people _weren't_ his family. The only reason Sabo had gone with them was to _protect_ his real family, and as much as Ace wanted to break in and get him right away, he wasn't foolish enough to think it would be that simple. Convincing Sabo to leave at all would be difficult if there was even the slightest possible chance doing so would endanger Luffy.

The problem was, there was no way Luffy would accept that. He would look to Ace for answers, and Ace would have to choose his words carefully.

The whining came eventually - honestly, Ace had expected it to start much sooner - but the minute Luffy started to complain about missing Sabo and wanting him back, Ace had to swallow the bile in his throat and grudgingly tell him to suck it up.

"But…!" Luffy turned to protest, somehow managing to do so without dislodging the box balanced atop his head.

"But nothing," Ace interrupted, shooting him a stern look. "I want to go get him too." He looked away again. Luffy was gullible and rarely doubted anything his big brothers told him, but Ace wasn't used to having to lie to him. The mere thought of Luffy managing to see right through him had his guard automatically slamming into place. "But I don't know what would really make Sabo happy. Let's see how things go. He's strong. If he isn't happy, he's sure to come back to us. We've gotta keep collecting the pirate fund in case that time comes."

Luffy didn't answer him, clearly digesting those words and trying to make sense of them in a way that didn't hurt. The very notion that Sabo might be happier somewhere else, that Sabo would _choose_ not to come back for any reason, had Ace's stomach twisting with anxiety. He could only imagine what it was like for Luffy, who didn't understand the situation and didn't have any alternative to go on.

He didn't speak to Ace for the rest of their trek through the Gray Terminal, delivering each crate without complaint. By the time they were finished for the day, the only complaining Luffy could muster came in the form of his stomach growling and a simple keening whine of Ace's name.

After procuring a decent amount of food and eating in silence, they headed back to the treehouse. They hadn't bothered to get any materials to patch it up, but in all honesty, it didn't _need_ repairs. The roof was intact, the panels that had come off weren't necessary, and the damage to the crow's nest was something they could easily ignore. The clock was damaged but still functioning, and it wasn't like they needed to know what time it was in the first place.

Luffy didn't say anything as they got ready for bed. He stopped in front of the clock, staring up at the netting that held their sake cups for several long moments with that unreadable look they'd noticed from him more often in the last few months. Luffy was usually incredibly easy to read. He always said exactly what was on his mind, and he wore his heart on both sleeves. Not being able to readily understand him had been disorienting at first, and always ended with Luffy saying something insightful or simple that neither of them had expected.

He didn't want that to happen this time. If Luffy questioned him too deeply, Ace's own resolve would falter. Had it only been _his_ safety Sabo was trying to ensure, he would have thrown reason and caution to the wind. He would have fought back.

The image of Sabo's shaking frame and defeated posture had him clenching his fists again. It wasn't Ace's safety that mattered. It was Sabo's, and _Luffy's._

"Let's go to bed," Ace muttered. "We have more work in the morning, and if you want breakfast, we need to wake up early."

"Okay," Luffy answered, setting his hat beside his sleeping mat and casting a forlorn glance at Sabo's. Their treehouse had never seemed too big for them, but with Sabo's absence it felt _huge._ Ace didn't bother asking as he moved his sleeping mat so he'd be sleeping next to Luffy, climbing under the blanket and turning away.

It was silent, save for the ticking of that damned clock, but the lack of sound from Luffy told him the other boy was still awake, likely staring at those sake cups with that same look on his face.

Ace couldn't blame him. The morning had started like any other, with Luffy prattling on and on about wanting to find a telescope when the goal had been to find materials to repair their home. Sabo had humored him, going as far as to entertain the thought of possibly finding one in the trash heap, and Luffy had eaten up the attention with complete optimism. That such a mundane morning could spiral out of control with no warning had shaken them both.

"I wonder what Sabo's doing…"

Ace clenched his jaw at just how small Luffy sounded in that moment. "Shut up. Just sleep," he said automatically, risking a slight glance over his shoulder. At the slight movement to show Luffy giving him his attention, Ace turned away again, closing his eyes. "We promised to forget about Sabo for now, right?"

"Alright…" Luffy didn't sound like he liked the idea - neither of them did, after all - but he didn't argue.

Still, not arguing out loud didn't mean he wasn't anxious.

"He might be happier this way," Ace continued opening his eyes to stare dully at the pillow. _In case he won't come back to us right away, Luffy needs to believe he's happy until I can figure something out,_ he thought with a painful twist in his chest.

"Sabo…"

Ace grit his teeth again at Luffy's pining voice, pushing himself up and turning to reprimand him accordingly. "Luffy-" he cut himself off before he said anything else at the sight that greeted him. Luffy was already fast asleep, clearly physically and emotionally exhausted. Sprawled out on his sleeping mat with his blanket barely covering him, he looked younger than ever. Ace watched him for several more moments, sighing when he mumbled about telescopes in his sleep.

A sharp pain in his chest had him moving to rearrange the blankets so they covered Luffy again. It wasn't usually his job to tend to Luffy that way - or rather, it was Sabo who usually did it - but with Sabo's temporary absence he had no choice but to take over.

His hand stilled for a brief moment as Luffy turned towards him and smiled in his sleep, but at another whisper of Sabo's name, he quickly pulled his hand back and curled up on his own sleeping mat, closing his eyes.

He would never believe Sabo belonged anywhere but with them. They were supposed to grow stronger together. They were supposed to set out to sea when they turned seventeen, either separately or as a crew if his brothers would just stop being stubborn and admit he should be the captain. It was too soon to split up.

 _What would you do if you were in my position, Sabo?_ he thought, closing his eyes tighter. _Should I leave Luffy with Dadan and the others and sneak into the city to get you? Would you even come with me if you're worried about Bluejam or your father coming after us? How long do we have to wait before you can come home on your own? You are coming home, aren't you? I don't know how to do this without you. We can't let it end like this, damn it…_

Ace forced the thoughts from his head, biting down on his cheek and pulling the blanket tighter around himself. He couldn't afford to think that way. He had to worry about Luffy first. He could make all the contingency plans he wanted, but until he had a better idea of Sabo's situation and willingness, he couldn't act on any of them.

In six years, he hadn't had to worry about Sabo being taken _away_ from him. Sabo was his best friend, his partner in crime, and his _brother._ They'd been in life-threatening situations - which was really just par for the course - and they'd been pursued by the pirates before, but the thought of actually losing or being separated had been so ridiculous they'd never even entertained it. He cursed himself inwardly for letting himself get so comfortable - so _careless._

 _Once we have him back, I'm going to make sure this never happens again,_ he swore.

The clock kept ticking, an insufferable sound that had never bothered Ace in the past, but he welcomed it as a distraction from his thoughts. Not being able to sleep because of the clock was annoying, but not being able to sleep because he felt helpless and lost was unbearable.

* * *

Ace wiped an arm across his forehead, glancing over at Luffy as they finished carrying the last of Bluejam's boxes. They'd eaten a large breakfast, but they'd wound up skipping lunch to work through the day.

The wind had been gradually picking up, sending the occasional debris into their faces and earning several indignant whines from Luffy throughout the day. As another gust hit, Ace reached out and snatched a thin sheet of scrap metal as it flew right at Luffy's head, tossing it away. Luffy was too busy clutching his hat to notice.

"Ace," he complained, his voice small and dejected. "I'm hungry…"

"We'll head home as soon as we finish whatever Bluejam's big job is," Ace promised, sighing and placing a hand on Luffy's upper back. "C'mon."

He ushered Luffy back through the trash heap, lip curling in disgust as they made their way to the pirates. They'd all gathered, with Bluejam looking more arrogant than usual.

"It's getting late," Ace stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's the big job you had for us?"

Bluejam smirked, motioning to the trash with a bottle in one hand. "It's a very important job, and you'll be doing me a _big_ favor."

"If we agree to do it," Ace cut in, eyes narrowing. Something about Bluejam's attitude had him wary. It was like the older pirate had told some sort of joke that he and Luffy weren't getting.

"It won't take long," Bluejam chuckled, looking to them with a wide grin that set Ace's teeth on edge. "You see, we could use a little help starting some fires."

"Fires?" Luffy echoed, brow furrowing. He was sticking close to Ace, both of them already holding their pipes in case they needed to fight. It was a natural reaction to being in the Gray Terminal, but Ace had been hoping to avoid a fight while they were both hungry and tired.

"Yeah, fires," Bluejam answered. "By tomorrow, the Gray Terminal will be gone. We're burning it down tonight."

Luffy's jaw dropped, his head immediately swivelling around. Ace clenched his jaw, entire body tensing as the words sank in. "What?!" Ace hissed, his voice pitching with alarm. "You're burning down the Gray Terminal?! Why would you do that?!"

"You idiot! Don't be so loud! Someone might hear you!" The smug look was gone from Bluejam's face, as if he hadn't expected them to actually have a problem with his plan.

"This is awful! We have to let everyone know! He really is a bad guy after all!" Luffy cried, frantically jumping and flailing his arms. It nearly broke Ace's concentration; of course Luffy had questioned whether or not Bluejam was a bad guy based off the fact that they'd agreed to do a little work for him. Ace, on the other hand, had _never_ doubted that Bluejam was bad.

"I told you not to cause a scene!" Bluejam snarled in response to Luffy. "Hey, restrain them."

Ace shouted in alarm, tuning out Luffy's angry ranting and struggling as they were grabbed by Bluejam's men and held in place. He was already coiling to attack, trying to analyze the situation the way Sabo would have so he wouldn't put Luffy in any needless danger, but Bluejam's next words had him freezing.

"It's not like I'm the one responsible for all this…"

Bluejam met his gaze, and the smug look in his eyes was like a punch to the gut.

"The boxes you've been placing around the Gray Terminal are filled with oil and explosives. Soon, a fire will be unleashed that is so fierce nobody will escape it."

"N-no way…" Luffy's voice faltered.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Ace demanded, clenching his jaw when Bluejam's immediate response was to laugh. His mind raced, trying to come up with the best possible option for getting away, but they were at an extreme disadvantage. Bluejam still had that damn _gun_ in plain sight.

"I guess this is a little too much to handle, even for troublemakers like you?" Bluejam taunted, stepping closer as they struggled. Ace bit back a slew of insults that would have made even Dadan blush. It was not the time to get worked up and lose his temper. He _had_ to stay calm for Luffy's sake. "But now you know the plan… I can't afford to let you go, anymore."

 _Like you ever intended to let us go in the first place,_ Ace thought, glaring pure hatred at Bluejam.

"But there is one thing I'd like to know before the fire starts," Bluejam continued. "You two… have a large stash of treasure hidden away somewhere in the forest, don't you?"

He wasn't surprised, but hearing Bluejam greedily revealing his intent had Ace barely holding back a growl. Behind him, Luffy made a similar noise, clearly distressed at the mention.

All pretenses of remaining calm flew out the window. It wasn't _just_ treasure. It was the treasure he and Sabo had spent six years collecting. It was their _Pirate Fund,_ a symbol of their joint dreams and pursuit of freedom. The thought of Bluejam's greasy hands touching even a _coin_ had Ace bubbling over with rage.

"Go to hell," he snarled, jerking against the pirate holding him in place.

Bluejam laughed, motioning with the bottle again. "Tie them up on the ship," he ordered. "It doesn't matter. We won't need it anyway."

"You bastards!" Luffy shouted, inspired by Ace's bravado and struggling with renewed purpose. "You can't do this! Everyone, everyone, it's dangerous! Run!"

"And shut the little brat up," Bluejam growled impatiently, his mirth gone. "Gag him if you have to."

"Keep your hands off him!" Ace shouted, enraged. He jerked an arm free, but others were coming to assist, covering Luffy's mouth and dragging the two towards the ship. Once, Luffy managed to get his face clear of their hands by biting one of the pirates, but that only earned him a punch to the head and a rag being stuffed into his mouth as they were forced into the ship.

Rather than keep struggling when they were outnumbered and outmatched, Ace pushed back the anger he felt at seeing Luffy being treated that way, reminding himself that the punch couldn't have hurt and Luffy's pride was the only thing actually being wounded. He hissed at Luffy to shut up and stop fighting, and it only took three tries before Luffy actually listened to him. Neither boy struggled as they were tied back-to-back around a thick pole.

"Ace," Luffy spoke again as soon as they were left alone, his voice coming out small and uncertain now that he couldn't see Ace at all. It didn't help that they'd used more rope on Luffy due to his abilities.

"We'll get out of here," Ace promised, narrowing his eyes and wiggling his arm. It was absolute hell on his elbow, but he managed to turn his wrist just long enough to grab the broken shard of glass he'd stashed in his pocket during the scuffle and start working at the ropes.

"O-okay," Luffy stammered, squirming uncomfortably and causing Ace to miss the rope, hissing in pain when he had to tighten his grip on the glass to stop from dropping it.

"Just stay still," Ace ordered. "I'll cut us free and we'll get out of here in no time."

Luffy stopped squirming, biting back a sound of discomfort as Ace resumed working at the ropes. The glass wasn't sharp enough to cut directly through, and he couldn't move his arm as quickly as he would have liked due to the angle. Before long, the acrid smell of smoke assaulted their senses, causing Luffy to start flailing and struggling in his restraints.

"Ace!" Luffy whined, his flailing causing Ace to drop the glass. "The fire's here! The fire's already here!"

"Damn it!" Ace twisted as much as he could manage in the ropes. "Luffy, stop moving! I need you to stay still so I can get us out of here!"

"But, Ace-"

"Luffy, do as I say!" Ace snapped.

"Nng…" Luffy whimpered, the sound accompanying the sudden rush of flames climbing along the walls.

With Luffy no longer struggling, Ace strained to pick the shard back up, working at the same spot on the ropes. The fire was spreading even faster than he'd anticipated. The air around them shifted from unpleasant to unbearable until it was too hot to comfortably breathe and stinging their eyes.

"It's hot!" Luffy cried, the panic in his voice pushing Ace to work even faster at the ropes. He didn't know how much longer they had before they'd be completely sealed off from an escape route, but he knew they couldn't keep breathing in smoke. They'd suffocate. "Too hot!"

He grit his teeth, reminding himself to praise Luffy later as a reward for keeping himself completely still while crying and panicking, then brought the glass up through the rope, successfully severing it. "Alright!" he cried, jumping to his feet and looking around. The fire was raging out of control, but they'd still be able to escape as long as they didn't completely lose their heads. "Damnit! We got ourselves into an awful mess!" he hissed.

"There's no way out! I don't wanna die!" Luffy cried, flailing on the ground where it was slightly cooler and easier to breathe.

Another surge of frustration hit him. Luffy was completely panicking, and Sabo wasn't there to talk him down. Ace only knew of one way to get through to him in such a situation. "If you don't stop whining, I'll leave you behind!" he threatened. Luffy had no way of knowing it was an empty threat, but Ace still promised himself he'd make it up to Luffy once they were safe.

Luffy stopped crying mid-flail, hands balled into fists. A tiny murmur of "It's not hot" escaped, and Ace quickly hauled him up by the arm. "Get your pipe and keep your head down," he ordered. "We have to get out of here, _now!"_

"Y-yeah," Luffy agreed, rubbing at his eyes and following along.

Ace led the way once they both had their pipes, hissing at Luffy to hold his breath as they plowed through the smoke-heavy areas. He knew Luffy was trying his best. He _knew_ they were experiencing the same pain, but he couldn't afford to let them stop. Even if he had to yell and threaten and scream at him in ways he never had before, he would _not_ let Luffy give up.

He would not fail Luffy.

Keeping a tight grip on Luffy's arm as he pulled him along, Ace somehow managed to navigate back out of the ship with only a few blisters to show for it. Behind them, wood cracked and burned, raining down on the very corridors they'd just occupied.

"Ace…!" Luffy's voice came out choked and afraid, one small hand clutching the fabric of his shirt as they were both able to see the wreckage of the Gray Terminal.

The air inside the ship had seemed unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the air outside. Heat radiated from every surface, burning through their shoes and scorching at their bare skin from every angle. The flames rose into the sky as far as they could see. It was the very picture of hell, as far as Ace was concerned.

"Let's go," he snapped, forcing himself to keep his voice steady while reminding himself that Luffy was relying on him - looking to him for guidance - and there was _no one else_ to turn to. If he screwed up, no one else would be there to pick up the slack and make sure Luffy made it out. In that moment, he was the only person Luffy could count on, and it was terrifying enough to give him a fresh surge of adrenaline.

He let go of Luffy's arm, pulling himself free and taking off in a desperate sprint that Luffy matched - as much as he could, anyway - with his pipe still in his hand. Even if it was starting to become painful to hold as the heat soaked into it, he refused to let himself be unarmed in case they ran into trouble.

"It's so hot - I mean, it's not hot at all!" Luffy cried. The sound of Luffy doing his best to stop himself from whining when he was clearly in pain had Ace's heart wrenching again, but he didn't let it show. No matter where they ran, everything was already engulfed in flames. He couldn't admit the hopelessness of their situation out loud, or even that he was scared.

"It's like an ocean of fire," he hissed in frustration, stopping Luffy and turning to look for the least dangerous path they could take while simultaneously trying to get his bearings. He couldn't be sure he was leading them the right way. The last thing they needed was to get lost, but as long as they made it _out_ of the fire, he didn't really care where they ended up.

"It hurts to breathe," Luffy doubled over, coughing. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, but they were evaporating as soon as they hit the ground. "I mean, it doesn't hurt at all!" he added the last lie while looking up at Ace.

"We'll get through this, somehow," Ace promised, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've got me, remember?"

Luffy's eyes filled with fresh tears, but the look he gave Ace was filled with absolute trust. The very fact that Luffy was relying on him so heavily sent a another wave of adrenaline through his body, and he turned to look at their surroundings again, gritting his teeth when he saw a path. "Come on. We have to go!" The sound of flames roaring overhead had him jerking to look up, before shoving Luffy in front of him and putting on a burst of speed. "Run for it, Luffy!" They made it to the open path only moments before a flaming structure collapsed and crashed into the spot they had been standing in, sending burning debris flying in every direction.

* * *

Ace jerked awake with a sharp gasp, bolting into an upright position. The immediate sense of danger and alarm was almost suffocating in its urgency, and for one brief moment in the darkness he forgot where he was.

"Jeez," he breathed, the tension in his shoulders draining at the sound of Dadan's snoring. He shoved a hand through his damp hair, grimacing at how chilled his skin felt. As much as he'd needed to clean his wounds and try to banish the soot and grime from his skin, his quick dip in the river had probably done more harm than good.

Almost two full days had passed since the fire, and despite being stuck in a hiding spot in the forest, Ace was mostly relaxed. The headaches had subsided shortly after they'd finished coughing up the last of the soot from their lungs, and he was optimistic about getting Dadan back to the others as soon as the coast was clear.

She was still far too injured to walk on her own - and a twinge of guilt hit him at the reminder that she was only in such a state because she'd completely shielded him from the fire - but he didn't care if he had to carry her. He would make sure she came home with him.

A soft groan of pain interrupted her snores, causing Ace to glance at her. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but he could make out the outline of her face easily enough. He still didn't know how he felt. This was the same woman who'd viewed him as an irritation and a nuisance his whole life. She'd never appeared to care before, not that he could remember, so why now?

He'd thought the first instance had been the soup and medicine. The fact that she'd actually come out to their treehouse to take care of Sabo for a few hours was still difficult to wrap his head around, but then Sabo had told him she'd come to check on them a few times when they'd first moved out. Sabo had even claimed Dadan had given Makino money for some more winter clothes for them once.

And finally, if there had ever been a time where they'd needed her the most, she'd shown up. She'd gone above and beyond any obligation or promise to Garp. Ace wasn't naive enough to think he would have survived the fire without her, either.

He sighed in frustration, moving to lie back down and press his face into the bundled up shirt he was using as a pillow. It wouldn't do him any good to agonize about it right then. He needed Sabo's intuition and advice to properly make sense of his thoughts, and he wouldn't get either of those things until he got _Sabo_ back. The emotions he'd felt during the fire, the way his entire body had rebelled against the thought of Luffy being harmed, and the unfamiliar feeling of warmth in his chest at the memory of Dadan standing by his side would simply have to wait.

Ace struggled with sleep again. Despite how exhausted he was, there was an ache in his body that seemed to seep into his bones and made just about every position uncomfortable. He only managed to trick himself into relaxing by imagining that he'd bring Dadan home and find out Sabo had already escaped and was waiting for him with a blubbering Luffy tucked safely under one arm. Sabo would admonish him for worrying so much, and Luffy would hug them both until it became physically painful to breathe, but all of his tension and stress would lift with those simple actions.

Imagining Sabo's confident grin and Luffy's wide smile when he finally returned helped lull him back to sleep, and for the first time in days, he wasn't plagued by nightmares.

* * *

 **A/N: I've been informed this was a sad chapter D: I'm sorry. I thought I moved all the sadness to chapter 15. Hopefully it doesn't take me as long to keep the chapters coming, but we'll see. THANKS AGAIN, EVERYONE! YOU'RE ALL LOVELY!**

 **~Mithril**


	15. Grief

**A/N: Well… I tried to get this written multiple times and just wound up crying too hard. So, here it is finally, and sorry to my Bonds of Sea and Fire readers because Kyoudai emotionally drained me and there's a delay because of that xD Good luck, readers; and thank you to everyone who is favoriting/following/reviewing/tumblr messaging me. Thank you for sticking with this story :)**

 **Huge thanks to Aynslesa for beta'ing for me while Kailani-chan was asleep :3**

 **Dedicated to Ascaisil.**

 **I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.**

* * *

 _Chapter 15: Grief_

* * *

It wasn't like it was Luffy's fault Sabo wasn't there. There were plenty of reasons why Ace felt irritated, but none of them were actually Luffy's fault. Still, Luffy was the one bawling and clinging to him while he tried to take off his dirty clothes, and Luffy was the one making the most noise while being the least helpful. The bandits had taken Dadan to lie down and look over her wounds.

 _Is he really happy?_ Ace wondered, finally ridding himself of his shirt and looking at his sobbing brother. Granted, Luffy never seemed to do _anything_ the way a normal person would, but he'd expected Luffy to at least _look_ happy to see him. Instead, he'd been greeted by tears, snot, and the clingiest rubber hands he'd ever known.

A soft sigh escaped as he finished changing into the clothes he'd been offered. He'd want to have a real bath later to rid himself of the rest of the grime, but it could wait. Luffy choked back another sob, staring up at him with the same expectant expression - a mix of distress and desperation - before struggling to dry his eyes.

"Luffy," Ace muttered, placing a hand on his brother's unruly black hair. "Stop crying."

Fresh tears welled up before Luffy launched at him again, but this time he allowed it. Luffy made no attempt to speak or argue, his rubber limbs winding multiple times around Ace's midsection. It was difficult to move around with Luffy clinging to him, but Ace put up with it. After all, he _had_ resolved to make up for the way he'd had to yell at Luffy during the fire.

"Now, now, you must be hungry," Magra said, looking over. "Ace, come sit down and we'll get you something to eat. You too, Luffy. You've barely eaten since the fire."

Luffy gave a rather petulant nod, but he refused to let go of Ace. It took some careful maneuvering to get them both situated, and surprisingly, Luffy didn't try to take any of Ace's food. He only let go with one arm as he ate his own, glancing at Ace out of the corner of his eye every once in awhile. Ace decided to bear with it. Even though Luffy shouldn't have been worrying about him, it was pretty clear that was _all_ he'd done since they'd split up.

 _Sabo would do something to comfort him,_ he told himself, frowning down at Luffy over his bowl of rice. Luffy caught the frown and quickly looked back to his own food, loosening his grip.

Ace's frown deepened at the reaction - as if Luffy thought he'd done something to upset him - but his stomach growled and forced him to pay attention to his food again. Eventually, Luffy let go. He didn't scoot away and give Ace any extra space but if Ace was completely honest with himself, he prefered it that way. Without the restrictive clinging, Ace was able to appreciate Luffy's presence at his side. Their knees and elbows would bump against each other, each one a reminder that unlike Sabo, Luffy was by his side.

He still didn't know what to do about Sabo. The fact that so much time had gone by and Sabo hadn't come back on his own was alarming. There was no easy way to get him a message and based off how much trouble he'd had just stealing medicine and remaining hidden with Dadan in the forest, actually trying to get to High Town was out of the question. Especially with Luffy trying to tag along. No matter how good Ace was at sneaking out, he was positive Luffy would follow him until his panic from the fire and his confusion from Sabo's absence dissipated.

Thoughts of how to handle the situation with Sabo plagued him as they finished eating. Luffy followed him to the bath, even though it meant _he_ had to take one, and by the time they emerged, Ace still had no answer.

* * *

The ringing in his ears wouldn't stop.

Everything else was a blur. He couldn't focus on individual words or recall exact sentences anymore. Echoes of voices broke through the ringing every once in awhile, but he couldn't even understand his own shouting.

Only one sound registered over the constant ringing, and that only made it _worse._

He was vaguely aware that he might have been shouting at Luffy to stop crying, but if it hadn't worked in the first few hours, why the hell would it work now?

His skin chafed and burned as he struggled against the ropes holding him to the tree, but he only felt it in brief flashes of pain cutting through his numbness. There had been a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach ever since being forced to watch Sabo walk away; a sense of surrealism that he couldn't quite grasp. He'd spent those initial days assuming it wouldn't be permanent. It wouldn't be the last time they saw Sabo. It wouldn't be the end of their dreams. He'd lied to Luffy as a means of stalling and distraction because he'd never truly believed it was over. He had held onto the belief somewhere deep in his heart that they would eventually figure something out.

His heart felt hollow. His mind felt hollow. His entire body felt hollow.

Even hearing about Sabo's death from Dogra hadn't made it real. His reaction had been spurred by panic from the implication - the mere thought of his brother being murdered while he had done nothing to prevent it. The overwhelming guilt that he had chosen _not_ to go after Sabo had overridden everything else, and the only thing stronger than the guilt had been his rage. It was still difficult to recall the specifics with that incessant ringing in his ears, but he remembered wanting to avenge Sabo's death.

What difference would it make? If he found the one responsible - who probably didn't even remember Sabo's name - and killed them? What then? It wouldn't bring Sabo back, and it wouldn't lessen his guilt in the slightest. There was no _one_ person to blame. There was the man who'd shot him down, the government who let it happen, Sabo's parents for forcing him back to that place, Bluejam and his crew for enabling it…

 _Himself_ for not going after Sabo. For not protecting Luffy so Sabo could have run.

One voice came to mind, piercing the ringing sound, piercing Luffy's anguished wails.

" _It was this world!"_

He didn't really understand what that meant. Dadan seemed to know - the _bandits_ seemed to know. He didn't care. The world was not a physical entity he could vent his anger - _his grief -_ on. What was he supposed to do? What would make that hollow feeling go _away,_ silence the _ringing_ in his head?

"STOP CRYING!" he roared, straining against the ropes as another wail of Sabo's name broke through the ringing.

Ace doubted Luffy even heard him, but the dull roar in his head drowned out any further cries. He hoped it lasted longer this time.

His hopes were crushed almost instantly as the roar faded. The ringing finally stopped. Luffy's cries faded into the background until he had to wonder if he'd shouted loud enough to destroy his own hearing. His eyes slid shut.

" _I want to go get him too."_

His words from the day of the fire echoed in his head, forcing his eyes to open again. "No…"

" _But I don't know what would really make Sabo happy."_

It was as if every part of his body that felt hollow was somehow filling with ice. It slid through his veins and caused the tips of his fingers and toes to burn.

" _Let's see how things go. He's strong."_

"Stop it," he breathed, his voice cracking. The ice centered in his chest.

" _If he isn't happy, he's sure to come back to us."_

His throat constricted at his next attempt to drown out the memory of his own voice, but if sounds were actually escaping, he couldn't hear them. He could only argue with himself inside his own head and hope that would somehow make it stop.

" _If he isn't happy…"_

 _I was trying to keep Luffy calm!_

" _-he's sure-"_

 _He could have..._

" _-come back-"_

 _Sabo..._

" _-come back-"_

 _It can't be over. It can't…_

" _-come back to us."_

 _Does it really end like this?_

He had no answer. The numb feeling returned when the voices didn't, leaving him drained and hollow again. Silence dragged on for what felt like forever until he became aware of his surroundings. The familiar sounds of the forest slowly mixed with the sound of Luffy's crying. He didn't bother yelling again. Even if Luffy _could_ hear him he wasn't going to listen, and the yelling hadn't helped either of them.

The crying stopped when the sun began to rise. It wasn't long before Ace heard the shuffling of bandits moving about. Their mumbling voices were nothing but white noise that he didn't bother trying to discern from all of the other background sounds. Ace was aware of their approach as they finally came to check on him, but he didn't lift his head until Dadan spoke.

"Have you calmed down yet, Ace?" Dadan met his gaze, holding it for several moments. When he didn't answer her, she inclined her head towards Magra. "Where's Luffy?"

"He spent the whole night crying," Magra answered. "He's asleep now."

Ace felt his eyes narrow slightly, but he didn't speak. Arguing with himself, going over his last conversation with Sabo, screaming at Luffy… none of it had helped and he still felt hollow. He didn't know what to do about it, but he couldn't stay tied to the tree. He'd go crazy.

"Okashira!" Dogra's voice interrupted whatever else Dadan might have had to say. He came running up to them with a letter clutched in one hand. The bird who had delivered it instantly flew away, but the writing on the envelope had Ace's entire body tensing. "This letter just arrived…! It's from Sabo! He must have sent it right before he set out to sea…"

"Give it to me," Ace demanded, straining against the ropes. All eyes turned to him, but he didn't care how desperate he looked as he met Dadan's stare. "That letter, it's for Luffy and me isn't it? I swear I won't go into town, just give it to me!"

Dadan held his gaze just long enough for him to worry she would leave him there as punishment and hold the letter as some sort of twisted leverage to make him calm down - but before he could allow his desperation to take over, she nodded to the bandits. "Let him down."

The moment the ropes loosened, Ace pushed away from the tree and landed on his feet, snatching the letter from Dogra. He didn't look at any of them or return to the house where Luffy was sleeping, instead discarding the envelope and carrying the letter towards the forest. No one spoke or followed him as he began to read.

Emotions began to bombard him all at once, intense swells of despair and regret crashing together. Absently, he retraced the path they had taken countless times while still living with Dadan, eyes roaming the letter and drinking in every detail. He reread it multiple times as his feet carried him, and his anguish increased each time. His movements were purely automatic, but somehow he had a feeling he knew where he'd end up once he stopped.

In all honesty, he'd finished reading the letter just moments after they'd given it to him, but the words hadn't settled in his heart or filled the hollow space. He'd barely even looked at the achingly familiar writing; writing he was used to seeing alongside his own and Luffy's during lessons that always ended in exasperated lectures. Still, despite only a brief glance at first, the words had echoed in his mind as he'd tried to reread it until it became one giant blur.

He wasn't sure when he'd finally stopped reading it in his own voice and when he'd started hearing Sabo's voice instead. He knew at one point the intensity of his pain had threatened to crush him, but he somehow continued on.

One line in particular resonated with him as he found himself at the cliff where they'd once shouted their dreams for the world to hear. As he stood there, staring over the sea and trying to recall that moment, he realized he couldn't fully recall their declarations or the distant echoes of Sabo's laughter. He could only hear Sabo's voice, and Sabo was only saying one thing.

 _Luffy might still be a weakling and a crybaby... but he's our little brother! Take care of him for me!_

For the entire night he'd been tied to the tree, Ace had only heard his own selfish voice over the ringing and Luffy's crying. Only _his_ words had echoed, a stark reminder that he was the one who'd called the shots after Sabo had left. He was the one who had made the decision to wait - to _wait_ for Sabo instead of helping him. He was the one who had made the decision to work for Bluejam, even if he could think of a number of reasons why it had made sense at the time; keeping his enemies close, getting money for the fund, _distracting Luffy…_

There had been an ugly voice deep in his heart, whispering doubts and fears he normally kept locked inside of himself. Doubts that Sabo would want to come home - _but he had to for Luffy's sake._

He was finally hearing Sabo's voice again, and despite the intense ache in his chest at the realization that he would never hear it again, the hollow feeling began to fade at last. His eyes focused on the vast sea and the sky above.

 _Luffy might still be a weakling and a crybaby... but he's our little brother! Take care of him for me!_

That one sentence - a simple request from one brother to another - pushed everything else aside and gave way to one thing, and one thing only.

Grief.

The tears stung his eyes as the last bit of self control slipped away and it became impossible to hold back any longer. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually allowed himself to cry - not even from pain or frustration. This grief - this _ache_ that threatened to tear him apart - was stronger than anything he'd ever felt before.

The cries rose up in his throat and he did nothing to stop them from escaping, choking on his own sobs.

It all came crashing down around him in that instant with the realization that Sabo was _gone,_ and _never coming back._ His cries increased in volume as he seemed to recall every precious moment he had never truly appreciated at the time.

Sabo's smile, that first night after they became brothers. " _Having a family - a family I chose, not the family I was forced to be a part of - it makes me happy."_

The next night, when the weight of their bond had finally started to sink in." _We sure have our work cut out for us, with such an idiot for a little brother, huh?"_

The moment of silence followed by Sabo's soft laughter as he answered. " _Yeah, we do."_

The first time he'd overreacted at the idea of Luffy being hurt, and the sound of Sabo's exasperated voice right before they turned in for the night. " _And next time someone hurts our little brother, let me have a go at him, will you?"_

Sabo's hand grabbing his arm to stop him from smacking Luffy, the two of them nearly winding up a tangled mess on the ground as Luffy praised them to Makino.

Those sheepish smiles Sabo would share with him while pleased at something Luffy had done or said.

The annoyed glare when Sabo wouldn't back down over the way Ace was acting.

The way Sabo could always laugh at Luffy's ridiculous questions or declarations.

Sabo's encouraging words whenever Luffy failed.

The night Luffy had gotten stuck in that damn crevice and Sabo had been the one to talk him out of it, somehow keeping an air of calm while Ace lost his mind with worry and frustration. The ensuing fight, and the way Sabo had forgiven his petty jealousy and short temper.

A dull ache settled in his throat from the force of his sobs, muscles tightening until it felt like he couldn't breathe. His hand gripped the letter, preventing it from being blown away as his strength gave out and he fell to his knees.

The memories were flooding through him like an emotional assault, reminding him of the first day he'd met Sabo in the dredges of the Gray Terminal. They had only been two orphans back then, teaming up to fulfill a purpose and deciding to stick it out as a team whenever it became convenient. They'd worked towards a common goal more often after that, until the idea of convenience melted completely into the security of having someone they could rely on to watch their respective backs.

Ace hadn't even realized there had been a change long before Luffy had come into their lives. He and Sabo had always agreed that Luffy's arrival had been the catalyst for the change in their dynamic, but he knew now that was wrong. Their dynamic had started to change much earlier, the two of them finding excuses to work together until each of them had sought the other out because they were _friends,_ because they _enjoyed_ being together.

Maybe Ace had never fully lowered his guard. Maybe he had succumbed to the darkness in his heart, listening to the whispers that told him he didn't deserve to live, to have someone care about him. Maybe he had never wanted to let himself believe there was anyone who could truly care about him without some sort of ulterior motive.

Had Sabo been aware of it, or had he denied it as well? Had he known Ace hadn't figured it out and decided not to push it? Maybe it didn't matter.

Ace couldn't ask him now.

He had lost something far more important than he'd ever realized he had, and there was nothing he could do about it now. Sabo was dead, and he had died without knowing how much he meant to Ace. Unlike Luffy, who was open with every emotion he felt and showed his affection on a daily basis, Ace's gestures had been few and far between.

" _Ace, it's me. Luffy can't hear us right now. You may as well just say it."_

" _I've never been afraid of losing anything before. I've never had anything I wanted to protect until now. At first, it was an instinct. You were the one who noticed it, but I was the one who wound up changing the most because of it."_

The echo of those words - his own admittance that he was afraid of losing something - had another strangled sob escaping, his body caving in on itself and the letter pressed against his chest.

" _I understand. I might not look like I changed much, but I did. Sometimes I think about what it's going to be like once we turn seventeen and set sail, other times I wish time would slow down so we could stay like this forever. I haven't felt lonely since the day he crashed into our lives, and I never want to feel that way again. But… I don't think I will, as long as we have our bond."_

 _I'm sorry,_ he thought, choking on regret and grief.

" _I'm really glad you're our brother, Sabo. I would have screwed this whole 'big brother' thing up a long time ago if you weren't here with us."_

 _I'm sorry…_

" _I'm really glad you're my brother too."_

 _Sabo, I'm sorry…_

" _What's with bringing that up now?"_

" _Just wanted to make sure I mentioned it."_

 _I'm sorry!_

Ace slammed his fists into the ground, letting the last of his adrenaline and pent up emotions rise to the surface in the form of an anguished cry that left his throat raw. It was silent after that, save for the rustling of the trees and the crash of waves against the cliff.

He didn't know how much time passed as he remained there, hunched over on the ground until he ran out of tears, his muscles aching and exhaustion settling over him like a thick blanket.

 _Luffy might still be a weakling and a crybaby..._

He slowly began pushing himself up, scrubbing his free hand over his eyes and ignoring the sharp sting as he dried them.

 _But he's our little brother!_

His legs almost buckled as he straightened, but he forced himself to stay on his feet. He couldn't change the past. No matter how much he regretted what had happened, he had to push forward. Their bond… it wasn't broken because they'd lost Sabo. He couldn't let it break. Luffy was still there, and Ace was the only big brother now. He was the one who had to be strong.

 _Take care of him for me!_

He couldn't afford any more regrets. He owed it to Sabo.

* * *

Ace sighed, pushing a hand through his hair as he watched Luffy sleep. It didn't matter how strange it was to be back in Dadan's house, the two of them curled up in their old room - Ace felt relieved just seeing Luffy's sleeping face. Even if the younger boy's eyes were puffy from another night of crying himself to sleep and he hadn't actually spoken to Ace since they'd gotten the news a few days earlier, it was still reassuring to have him in his sight.

Luffy spent most of his time in a daze, wandering off to cry alone and barely responding when directly addressed. He hadn't been eating - a testament to how heavily he was grieving - and he hadn't returned to the tree house. If Ace told him to do something, he always took an extra second to register the command before going along with it. He was listless. Unlike Ace, who had kept his emotions bottled up until the letter had shaken them free and he'd cried himself hoarse, Luffy had been crying and venting from the start. He was grieving in his own way, and Ace still wasn't sure what to do for him.

He wasn't Sabo, who always instinctively knew how to comfort Luffy in times of distress. All he could do was make himself accessible and accept whatever physical closeness Luffy needed. He was never too far from Luffy, often catching him looking over to confirm he was still there - and suffering a sharp pang in his heart when Luffy would then look for Sabo. If Luffy wandered off alone, Ace would wait to see if he'd stop when Ace didn't follow. If he stopped, Ace would start moving closer, sometimes having to walk alongside him to get him moving again.

It had only happened once or twice - Luffy had seemed to take more comfort in crying by himself during the day. Night was another matter. They'd quickly discovered that Luffy couldn't sleep at all if he wasn't curled up at Ace's side, clutching his shirt, and Ace couldn't begrudge him that contact. As clingy as Luffy was being, Ace knew it was the only comfort he could offer until he figured out how to pull Luffy out of mourning.

He knew the bandits thought Luffy didn't fully understand the situation. Having only heard the news secondhand without actually seeing the act had caused an obvious disconnect for both boys, but while they'd accepted that Ace at least had a firm grasp of life and death, they saw Luffy as naive because of his age and simplistic views. Ace knew better.

Luffy understood it perfectly. Maybe he couldn't connect the idea of death with Sabo because he'd never seen someone close to him die, but that didn't mean he wasn't experiencing the same emptiness Ace felt in his heart. It didn't mean he couldn't understand what the implication of Sabo's death _meant._

He didn't have to understand the ins and outs, the process of dying, or anything else. He understood the only part that mattered.

Sabo was gone and he was never coming back.

The last sparring match was the _last._ The stories Sabo had told him could only be heard again in memories. The hand Luffy was so accustomed to reaching for had vanished. They would never hunt as a trio and spend the mornings bickering over who took down the biggest prey. Sabo wouldn't be there to sneak Luffy the largest pieces of meat. Sabo wouldn't… Sabo… _Sabo wouldn't be there._

Ace closed his eyes, struggling to keep his emotions in check. The wounds were still fresh, and the mention or reminder would always be accompanied by a sharp pain that might someday dim but never vanish. He couldn't afford to fall back into his grief when Luffy hadn't escaped his own - when he hadn't found a way to help Luffy overcome it.

It didn't help that he had no idea how Luffy was processing the loss. Whenever he looked into Luffy's wide, sorrowful eyes in an attempt to figure out what he was thinking, Ace always came up blank.

* * *

Luffy had been gone before Ace had woken. That he'd left without needing Ace in his line of sight could be considered a good thing, but when Ace showed up to eat breakfast with the others, he found out from Dadan that Luffy had once again declined food.

He easily tuned out the chatter and speculation from the bandits while he ate, leaving as soon as he finished. He hadn't come up with any good ideas on how to handle Luffy, but it didn't matter. He may not have been able to fill the void left by Sabo, but he _would_ get through to Luffy.

Ace's fists clenched as he made his way along the path; he had to force them to relax. He couldn't show up looking anywhere near as emotional as he had the night they'd been given the news. Luffy would look to him - _and only him, because he couldn't look to Sabo anymore -_ for guidance. He needed to appear strong.

 _Sabo… I was never supposed to do this without your help._ He closed his eyes for a moment. The winding forest path would have been daunting to others, but he knew the mountains like the back of his hand and it was a simple matter to travel without watching his step. His eyes opened again as he reached the clearing.

Luffy was face-down in the grass, hat pulled over his head to completely obscure his face and arms lifeless at his sides. A subtle tremor in his shoulders proved he was crying again.

He didn't stir at Ace's approach, but that was to be expected. Ace slowed once he reached him, then brought his fist down in a moderately forceful punch to the back of Luffy's head. A startled whine escaped before Luffy grabbed onto his hat and tugged it down farther, completely obscuring his face from view.

"How long are you going to mope like this?" Ace asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Luffy went still, but he didn't look up from the safety of his hat. Ace waited a moment for a response before continuing. "All the treasure we hid in the forest is gone. Maybe it was stolen by survivors from Bluejam's crew, or maybe the guards from the city found it."

Luffy remained hidden under his hat, his knuckles white from clutching the brim. Ace turned back to the sea. "I don't know what happened to it, but it doesn't matter anymore. Sabo and I were going to use it. It was our Pirate Fund. But in the end, Sabo didn't use it, so I'm not gonna bother with it either. There's no point in gathering treasure if we can't even look after it."

"A-Ace…"

Ace turned, looking down at Luffy when he finally spoke. His thin shoulders were shaking harder than before.

"I… want to get stronger!"

Of all the things he thought Luffy might say, that hadn't been one of them. He gave his full attention to the crying boy, wondering exactly what thought process had prompted the claim.

"Stronger… and stronger…" Luffy's voice was shaking as he repeated those words like a mantra, increasing in volume until he was practically shouting his heart out. "And even stronger than that!" He took a moment to catch his breath, curling up a little more. "Then I'll be able to protect anything, and I won't have to lose anyone ever again!"

Ace's fists clenched again. _So that's it._

"So Ace…" Luffy's voice came out smaller this time, still shaky from crying. "Please… don't die!"

Ace's reaction was automatic. He brought his fist down and punched Luffy on the back of the head again - still with considerably less force than he would use if he was actually upset - and scowled. "Idiot! You should be worried about yourself, not me! You're way weaker than I am!" He straightened up, looking to the sea as he finally realized what Luffy needed to hear - what he could do to help Luffy overcome his grief. "Listen up, and remember this, Luffy! I will _not_ die!"

He watched as Luffy shivered, then finally pushed himself to his knees. He kept his hat pulled down, tears still soaking his cheeks, but it was the response Ace had been looking for. When Luffy finally nodded, a sound of distress that might have also been a sound of confirmation escaping, Ace softened his voice.

"Sabo asked me to look after you, too," he murmured, turning to the sea and crossing his arms over his chest again. "So I'm not gonna die, no matter what! That's a promise." Resolve began to swell in his chest. "There's no way I could die and leave a weak little brother like you on your own."

He allowed a few moments of silence after Luffy nodded. He didn't want to force Luffy to think about Sabo's death any longer than necessary, so he made sure to pick his words carefully. "I'm not all that smart, so I can't figure out what killed Sabo. All I know is it was something opposed to freedom. Sabo died without ever knowing freedom, but we're his brothers and we're still alive."

Luffy lifted his head, staring up at Ace with tears and snot covering his face, but his eyes were no longer sorrowful. He was listening, _really listening,_ and absorbing everything Ace was saying.

"Remember this," Ace continued. "No matter what, the two of us have to live our lives with no regrets." Another memory hit him - another secret moment between big brothers while Luffy slumbered in the background.

" _Nobles don't become true nobles until they turn eighteen. So I'm going to leave this country when I'm seventeen."_

"We're going to set out to sea someday and live our lives the way we want to, with more freedom than anyone else!" Ace squared his shoulders. "I'm sure we'll end up making a lot of enemies. Even Jiji. We'll be risking our lives."

He thought of Sabo setting out alone on his search for freedom, flying a pirate flag with conviction and bravery. "We'll set out when we turn seventeen," he told Luffy. "We'll be pirates!"

Luffy scrubbed his face with both hands, then stood back up, his fists clenched and his eyes filled with determination as he stared at the sea alongside Ace. He held back a few moments longer than Ace expected before winding his arms around Ace's waist and clutching him tightly.

Ace let one hand rest on Luffy's upper back. When he felt Luffy's shoulders heave, he applied a little more pressure, communicating to him that just this once, he wouldn't yell at him for crying.

 _Sabo… I promise. I'll look after him even if it costs me my life._

* * *

 **A/N: If you'll excuse me, I will be face-down in a ditch while I deal with what I just wrote.**

 **Thanks for reading. Please be gentle. I'm fragile right now ; ;**


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